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THE BIG KNOCKOVER; Selected Stories and Short Novels of Dashiell Hammett / Edited and with an Introduction by Lillian Hellman
by Hammett, Dashiell
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Very Good
- Seller
-
Lake Forest, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Random House, 1966. First Printing. Cloth and boards. Fine/Very Good. 8vo, black cloth with gilt lettering on spine, Introcuction [vii-xxi] by Lillian Hellman, archival mylar-protected pictorial dust jacket (unclipped) with eye - chessboard - & coffin, with a B&W photo of Hammett on back panel, publisher's top stain, xxi, [xxii] + 355 pages + [3] About the Author. Dashiell Hammett (1894 - 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse). <br /> <br /> Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time."--Wiki<br /> <br /> FINE / Near Fine Condition! Tight, bright, clean "First Printing" in a Very Good dust jacket (unclipped) with light wear and a few spots on its spine. Also a few speckles on topstain. No previous owner or remainder marks.<br /> <br /> This is a posthumous anthology of Hammett's stories that were edited by his lover, Lillian Hellman, who also wrote its Introduction.<br /> <br /> Lillian Hellman (1905 - 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirists, political activist, and screenwriter.
Synopsis
Dashiell Samuel Hammett was born in St. Mary’s County. He grew up in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Hammett left school at the age of fourteen and held several kinds of jobs thereafter—messenger boy, newsboy, clerk, operator, and stevedore, finally becoming an operative for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency. Sleuthing suited young Hammett, but World War I intervened, interrupting his work and injuring his health. When Sergeant Hammett was discharged from the last of several hospitals, he resumed detective work. He soon turned to writing, and in the late 1920s Hammett became the unquestioned master of detective-story fiction in America. In The Maltese Falcon (1930) he first introduced his famous private eye, Sam Spade. The Thin Man (1932) offered another immortal sleuth, Nick Charles. Red Harvest (1929), The Dain Curse (1929), and The Glass Key (1931) are among his most successful novels. During World War II, Hammett again served as sergeant in the Army, this time for more than two years, most of which he spent in the Aleutians. Hammett’s later life was marked in part by ill health, alcoholism, a period of imprisonment related to his alleged membership in the Communist Party, and by his long-time companion, the author Lillian Hellman, with whom he had a very volatile relationship. His attempt at autobiographical fiction survives in the story “Tulip,” which is contained in the posthumous collection The Big Knockover (1966, edited by Lillian Hellman). Another volume of his stories, The Continental Op (1974, edited by Stephen Marcus), introduced the final Hammett character: the “Op,” a nameless detective (or “operative”) who displays little of his personality, making him a classic tough guy in the hard-boiled mold—a bit like Hammett himself.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Borg Antiquarian
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 8256
- Title
- THE BIG KNOCKOVER; Selected Stories and Short Novels of Dashiell Hammett / Edited and with an Introduction by Lillian Hellman
- Author
- Hammett, Dashiell
- Format/Binding
- Cloth and boards
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1966
- Keywords
- postumous, Picturesque, characters, New York, eccentrics, detective, adventure
Terms of Sale
Borg Antiquarian
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Borg Antiquarian
Biblio member since 2015
Lake Forest, Illinois
About Borg Antiquarian
BorgAntiquarian (ABAA & ILAB) is a dealer long engaged in selling exceptional collectibles: rare and fine books, autographs and manuscripts, fine art and artifacts. We are generalists in Americana, English & American literature, plus selected authors & important figures (Dickens & Darwin; presidents & 'signers'; scientists & historical figures; Revolutionary & Civil War militaria).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Remainder
- Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publisher overstock. Often, though not always, they have a remainder...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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