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THE GLASS KEY

THE GLASS KEY

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THE GLASS KEY

by Hammett, Dashiell

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
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Seller rating:
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Stephenson, Virginia, United States
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About This Item

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1931. First American Edition. Attractive copy of Hammett's fourth novel. "Like Personville in Red Harvest, the city is controlled by crooked politicians in league with various mobster factions; but in The Glass Key Hammett gives us an insider's view of the corruption and in fact creates a corrupt political henchman as his protagonist" (Pronzini & Muller, p.335). Widely regarded as one of Hammett's finest works, The Glass Key was serialized in the pages of Black Mask between March-June, 1930; Hammett would later settle down and revise the novel for Knopf, who published it first in London in January, 1931, and then in New York in April, 1931. Filmed twice, most notably Stuart Heisler's 1942 film noir starring Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake, and Alan Ladd. A Haycraft-Queen cornerstone title. Layman A4.2.a. First Printing. Octavo (19.5cm); jade green cloth, with titling and decorative elements stamped in burgundy and dark green on spine and front cover; dark brown topstain; dustjacket; [viii],282,[2]pp. Base of spine gently nudged, with a hint of sunning to upper board edges, and light wear to lower corners and lower edge of front board, resulting in some minute board exposure; contents fresh, with the cloth bright, lacking the usual soiling and discoloration; Near Fine. In the correct first printing dustjacket; spine gently sunned, light wear to joints and extremities, with a few tiny tears and nicks to crown and corners, and shallow loss to base of spine, not affecting lettering or design; an unrestored, Very Good+ example.

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
Captain Ahab's Rare Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
4367
Title
THE GLASS KEY
Author
Hammett, Dashiell
Book Condition
Used
Quantity Available
1
Edition
First American Edition
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
1931

Terms of Sale

Captain Ahab's Rare Books

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About the Seller

Captain Ahab's Rare Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2010
Stephenson, Virginia

About Captain Ahab's Rare Books

Founded in 2010, Captain Ahab's Rare Books specializes in first editions of literature, genre fiction, film-related books and ephemera, zines, manuscript and archival material.

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...
Good+
A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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...
Sunned
Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
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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