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A unique publication from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, The Hunter and Other Stories includes new Hammett stories gleaned from his personal archives along with screen treatments long buried in film-industry files, screen stories, and intriguing unfinished narratives.
Hammett is regarded as both a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen-and-a-half pieces, which explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light.
The title story concerns a dogged PI unwilling to let go of a seemingly trivial case, and the collection also includes an unfinished Sam Spade story and two full-length screen treatments: “On the Make,” about a corrupt detective, and “The Kiss-Off,” the basis for City Streets (1931), in which Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sydney are caught in a romance complicated by racketeering’s obligations and temptations. Rich in both story and character, this is a volume no Hammett fan should do without.
Hammett is regarded as both a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen-and-a-half pieces, which explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light.
The title story concerns a dogged PI unwilling to let go of a seemingly trivial case, and the collection also includes an unfinished Sam Spade story and two full-length screen treatments: “On the Make,” about a corrupt detective, and “The Kiss-Off,” the basis for City Streets (1931), in which Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sydney are caught in a romance complicated by racketeering’s obligations and temptations. Rich in both story and character, this is a volume no Hammett fan should do without.
Price: $16.00
Pages: 304
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Imprint: Mysterious Press
Publication Date:
14 October 2014
Trim Size: 8.25 X 5.50 in
ISBN: 9780802121592
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
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“This fascinating collection of hitherto unpublished or ungathered tales .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.”—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
"An acknowledged literary landmark."—New York Times Book Review
"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
“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.”—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
"An acknowledged literary landmark."—New York Times Book Review
"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
Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, a screenplay writer, and a political activist. The enduring characters he created include Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse).