The Hunter and Other Stories - Hardcover

Hammett, Dashiell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802121586 ISBN 13: 9780802121585

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 2013

Synopsis

THE HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES is a unique literary publication from one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Dashiell Hammett. This volume includes both new Hammett stories gleaned from his personal archives along with screen treatments long buried in film-industry files. The best of Dashiell Hammett's unfamiliar treasures have been rescued from deep in these archives: screen stories, unpublished and rarely published fiction, and intriguing unfinished narratives. Hammett is regarded as both a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen and half stories that explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light. The collection also includes two full-length screen treatments. "On the Make" is the basis for the rarely seen 1935 film Mr. Dynamite, starring a corrupt detective who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of his clients rather than help them. "The Kiss-Off" is the basis for City Streets (1931), with Sylvia Sydney and Gary Cooper caught in a romance complicated by racketeering's obligations and temptations. Like the screen stories from RETURN OF THE THIN MAN, they read as novellas-rich in both story and character.

Publication of these new volumes is due to the passion of Julie M. Rivett, Hammett's granddaughter and a well-regarded Hammett scholar, as well as Richard Layman, the author of the first full-length biography of Hammett, Shadow Man, the definitive bibliography, and other works. Rivett and Layman are trustees for Hammett's literary estate and have co-edited two previous Hammett volumes-Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett and Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers. THE HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES will appeal to longtime Hammett fans, and introduce a new generation to one of the most influential voices in American fiction.

About this title

About the Author:

Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, screenplay writer, and political activist. He created enduring characters including Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse).

Review:

PRAISE FOR THE HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES

For aficionados of the genre, the unearthing of new Hammett stories is akin to Christians discovering an epilogue to the New Testament. . . . These stories are among Hammett’s best. . . . [His] prose is always savvy and sturdy, but for the man who invented hard-boiled,’ it can also be surprisingly elegant.” San Francisco Chronicle

This fascinating collection of hitherto unpublished or ungathered tales . . . will be a treat for any fan of the father of the hardboiled detective story.” Wall Street Journal

Hammett’s talent allowed him to create moving and realistic characters using seemingly perfunctory details the literary equivalent of a Picasso doodle. . . . Any Hammett fan will surely want to peruse this . . . readable tome.” Columbus Dispatch

The Hunter and Other Stories caulks a crack in American literature. . . . The non-crime stories in The Hunter and Other Stories are good enough to make one wonder what a different kind of writer Hammett might have become had he published these stories before he began to make a living with crime fiction.” The Daily Beast

Layman and Rivett have expertly introduced and edited these stories. . . . The Hunter and Other Stories is a very good book by a great writer. Perhaps more important, it opens a wide window upon the creativity of one of our most important American storytellers of the twentieth century.” Barnes & Noble Review

Very entertaining writing. . . . This book is a must-read.” Huntington News

Hammett uses words like scalpels to surgically reveal slivers of seediness whether it concerns detectives or wronged men or wronged women. If you want to discover why Sam Spade’s dad burst onto the scene like a 30s literary nova, here’s your chance.” Will Durst, Progressive Magazine

"A pure pleasure to read." Jeff Baker, OregonLive.com

A labor of love . . . this collection is certainly a worthy monument to an important and brilliant literary career, one that reveals a heretofore hidden side of one of America’s most important fiction authors.” Bookreporter.com

Fans of crime writer Dashiell Hammett . . . have been waiting decades to read the stories collected in this book.” Publishers Weekly (boxed review)

"Fascinating." Booklist

"Tantalizing." Detectives Beyond Borders

PRAISE FOR DASHIELL HAMMETT

"I think Hammett's stories are about the best there are." Ross Macdonald

"Hammett's prose was clean and entirely unique. His characters were as sharply and economically defined as any in American fiction." The New York Times

"Hammett . . . wrote scenes that seemed never to have been written before." Raymond Chandler

"The exuberance of language, the relish with which seediness is described . . . it's a pleasure to imagine young Hammett cutting loose with whatever rascally high jinks he could cook up." Margaret Atwood

"An acknowledged literary landmark." New York Times Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0802121586
• ISBN 13: 9780802121585
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Rivett Julie M., Layman Richard