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The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon

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The Maltese Falcon

by Hammett,Dashiell

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
See description
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
San Anselmo, California, United States
Item Price
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About This Item

New York. Alfred A. Knopf. 1930. Extravagantly bound in full, gilt ruled ebony Morocco by Zahensdorf for Asprey of London. gilt-ruled spine compartments with gilt titles. Gilt-tooled raised bands, head and tailpieces. Extremely elaborate fleural turn-ins. Marbled endsheets. All edges gilded. 8vo.(5"x7.5"). The First Printing of The First Edition. Innocuous tiny patch of rubbing to front cover, else a Very Fine, flawless, exquisitely bound copy of perhaps the most significant work of American Crime Fiction.

Synopsis

The Maltese Falcon , author Dashiell Hammett’s third novel, set the standard by which all subsequent detective fiction would be judged. Set in San Francisco in the late 1920s, the novel introduces us to private detective Sam Spade, who characterizes the archetype of the hard-boiled detective in his dead-pan pursuit of the recovery of a black figurine. Having worked for a time for the Pinkerton Detective Agency in San Francisco, Hammett reportedly drew upon his years as a detective in creating Spade and many of the other characters for The Maltese Falcon . The Maltese Falcon was originally serialized in HL Mencken’s “pulp” magazine, Black Mask, beginning with the September 1929 issue. For publication of the book form, editor Blanche Knopf tried to tone down the overt sexuality of the magazine version, fearing the references would alienate readers, but Hammett prevailed. However, the 1941 film adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor (the best known of the novel’s three film versions) excised the homosexual subtext of the novel due to Production Code restraints. Today, the movie is considered a film noir classic and the novel is ranked 56th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century as well as 54th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels. -

Read More: Identifying first editions of The Maltese Falcon

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Details

Bookseller
Heldfond Book Gallery, ABAA-ILAB US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
8755
Title
The Maltese Falcon
Author
Hammett,Dashiell
Format/Binding
Extravagantly bound in full, gilt ruled ebony Morocco by Zahensdorf for Asprey of London. gilt-ruled spine compartments with gil
Book Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf.
Place of Publication
New York.
Date Published
1930.

Terms of Sale

Heldfond Book Gallery, ABAA-ILAB

The Heldfond Book Gallery is an elected member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and conforms to all ethical codes and standards of those organizations.Books found to be materially mis-described may be returned within seven days of receipt and all monies will be promptly refunded, if returned to us in the same condition as sent.

About the Seller

Heldfond Book Gallery, ABAA-ILAB

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2005
San Anselmo, California

About Heldfond Book Gallery, ABAA-ILAB

Located just accross the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, California - the Heldfond Book Gallery, Ltd. is one of the oldest and most esteemed Rare Bookstores on the West Coast. Specializations include: Illustrated Books in all disciplines, Fine Bindings and Sets, Important Literary First Editions,Fine Arts, Collectable Children's Illustrated Books, Illuminated Manuscripts and Incunabula,Rare Aviation and Maritime as well as a consistently superb inventory of General Antiquarian Materials.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Rubbing
Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
Edges
The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
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...
Morocco
Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
Raised Band(s)
Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
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....

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