Materials Toward a Bibliography of the Works of Talbot Mundy | Page 6

ill-fated first expedition against the Dervishes in Egypt, with a surprise,
terrific, ending. This story was published as a book, "The Soul of A
Regiment," (Alex Dulfer, San Francisco, 1925) and was anthologized
by Arthur Sullivant Hoffman in "Adventure's Beet Stories--1926"
(Doran, New York, 1926). It was reprinted in Adventure Magazine in
April 1917 and followed next month be a sequel, "The Damned Old
Nigger." Three of his early novelettes (1913), "Hookum Hai," "For the
Salt He Had Eaten," and "Machassan Ah," will be found in the book
"Told in the East," (Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1920). The first two
concern the Sepoy Revolt and the third is a humorous story of the
British Navy. All are good tales. The characters in the latter appear also
in "An Arabian Night" (Adventure, November 1913). The first of his
Indian hillman type stories is probably the short novel "The Letter of
His Orders" (Adventure, September 1913). His first serial, "For the
Peace of India" (Adventure, February to April 1914) was published in
the book "Rung Ho" (Scribners, New York, 1914) and is another good
story of the Sepoy Rebellion. In January and July 1914, appeared two
stories about the Princess Yasmini, a character that he used extensively
in later novels--as the lead, with King, with Ranjoor Singh, and in the
Jimgrim-Ramsden saga. The first of his sagas (Dick Anthony of Arran)
was never published in book form. This series included eight novelettes
and short novels, enough to fill four or five books, and appeared in
successive issues of Adventure Magazine, beginning August 1914.
These were very good adventure tales of a Scotch gentleman fighting
for Iran against Old Russia, but are rather dated now. Following this,
most of his novels appeared first in a magazine and were then
immediately published in book form.
This brings us to the "Jimgrim-Ramsden Saga," the greatest of them all.
If the early (and later) development of the associated characters is
added, it continues through twenty-one books (twenty-two novels), and
fifteen books (sixteen novels) for the actual Jimgrim-Ramsden stories.
This is not counting some eighteen novelettes and novels found in
magazines only.

This Saga, in the main, is the story of James Schuyler Grim, (Jimgrim)
a remarkable characterization, beginning as an American "Lawrence in
Arabia" and evolving into a human but unapproachable high priest of
the occult. There is Jeff Ramsden, the strong man and his closest friend,
who with the Australian, Jeremy Ross, make up the triumvirate of Grim,
Ross, and Ramsden, with their henchman Narayan Singh, the
indomitable Sikh. (Who cuts throats with an outward thrust.) Later the
multimillionaire, Meldrum Strange, hires them to fight evil. Then,
Athelbert King, a hero of novels in his own right, joins up, making a
quartet. Other characters from Mundy's novels appear--the seductive
and dangerous Princess Yasmini; Cotswold Ommony, the forester of
India; the Babu, Chullunder Ghose; the Gunga Sahib, and O'Hara.

His sagas
For an interesting reading sequence, the following is suggested. ***
means excellent escapist reading--and fantastic (***) means excellent
escapist reading--not fantastic Numbers indicate a book Indented
numbers with letter mean magazine only Major characters, and their
appearances, follow each title (Ramsden tells many of the stories and is
not listed except as necessary to connect the series.)
JIMGRIM-RAMSDEN, et al, Saga
(***) 1. GUNS OF THE GODS (Bobbs-Merrill) Yasmini 1.
(***) 1a. A SOLDIER AND A GENTLEMAN (Adventure January
1914) Yasmini 2.
(***) 1b. GULBAZ AND THE GAME (Adventure July 1914) Yasmini
3.
(***) 2. THE WINDS OF THE WORLD (Cassell) Yasmini 4. Ranjoor
Singh 1.
(***) 3. HIRA SINGH (Bobbs-Merrill) Ranjoor Singh 2.

*** 4. KING--OF THE KHYBER RIFLES (Bobbs-Merrill) King 1.
Yasmini 5.
(***) 5. JIMGRIM AND ALLAH'S PEACE (Appleton-Century)
Jimgrim 1.
(***) 5a. THE "IBLIS" AT LUDD (Adventure 1/10/22) Jimgrim 2.
(***) 6. TEE SEVENTEEN THIEVES OF EL-KALIL (Hutchinson)
Jimgrim 3.
(***) 7. THE LION OF PETRA (Appleton-Century) Jimgrim 4.
(***) 8. THE WOMAN AYISHA (see THE HUNDRED
DAYS--Century) Jimgrim 5.
(***) 9. THE LOST TROOPER (Hutchinson) Jimgrim 6.
(***) 10. THE KING IN CHECK (Appleton-Century) Jimgrim 7.
*** 10a. A SECRET SOCIETY (Adventure 8/10/22) Strange 1.
Jimgrim 8.
*** 10b. MOSES AND MRS AINTREE (Adventure 1/10/22) Strange
2. Jimgrim 9.
*** 11. THE MYSTERY OF KHUFU'S TOMB (Appleton-Century)
Strange 3. Jimgrim 10.
*** 12. THE CAVES OF TERROR (Hutchinson) Yasmini 6. Strange 4.
Ramsden King 2.
(**) 13. JUNGLE JEST (Century) Ommony 1. King 3.
(**) 14. THE MARRIAGE OF MELDRUM STRANGE (Hutchinson)
Ramsden Strange 5. Ommony 2. Chullunder Ghose 1.
** 15. OM; THE SECRET OF AHBOR VALLEY (Bobbs-Merrill)
Ommony 3.

(***) 16. THE HUNDRED DAYS (Century) Jimgrim 11. King 4.
*** 17. THE NINE UNKNOWN (Bobbs-Merrill) Chullunder Ghose 2.
Jimgrim 12. King 5.
*** 18. THE DEVIL'S GUARD (Bobbs-Merrill) Chullunder Ghose 3.
Jimgrim 13.
*** 19. JIMGRIM (Century) Chullunder Ghose 4. Jimgrim 14.