Lost Stories

Dashiell Hammett, the million-selling creator of Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon, and The Thin Man, was one of the twentieth century's most influential and entertaining authors. Even so, many of Hammett's stories—including some of his best—have been out of the reach of anyone but a handful of scholars and collectors, until now. This essential compendium rescues 21 long-lost Hammett stories, all either never collected in an anthology or unavailable for decades. These stories appear nowhere else, and represent a variety of styles from the famous mysterysmith: his first detective fiction, humorous satires, adventure yarns, a sensitive autobiographical piece, and a Thin Man story told with photos. With each story, Hammett researcher Vince Emery tells how Hammett's life shaped the story and vice versa, revealing surprises about Hammett's life not touched on in any other book. In addition, all stories have been restored to their original versions, replacing often wholesale cuttings with the original text for the first time. To round out this celebration of Hammett, three-time Edgar Award winner Joe Gores has written an introduction describing how Hammett influenced literature, movies, television, and Gores' own life. Indispensable for fans, students of the genre, and fiction lovers, this look at a master of the craft will fill a long open space on the shelf.