RETURN OF THE THIN MAN

New York: The Mysterious Press, 2012. First Edition. . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. Often considered the father of hard-boiled mystery and detective fiction, Hammett created among other now legendary characters such as Sam Spade ("The Maltese Falcon"), Nick and Nora Charles, the debonaire husband and wife detective team of "The Thin Man." "The Thin Man" was the basis for the hit movie of the same name, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy and resulted in a series of movies featuring the detective pair. The novellas in this book are the original, previously unpublished, screen treatments or stories for two of those movies: "After the Thin Man" and "Another Thin Man." The first thrusts Nick and Nora into a murderous love triangle when a dead man is left on their San Francisco doorstep; the latter set in New York, deals with the murder of a business partner of Nora's father. Edited by Richard Layman, a Hammett authority who has written or edited six other books on Hammett, and Julie M. Rivett, Hammett's granddaughter and representative for the Hammett estate, this book is their third collaboration on Hammett's life and works. First Printing, First Edition (with complete numberline). About 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches, 233 pages including an introduction by Layman and head and footnotes on both stories. Quarter bound in grey cloth over grey paper-covered boards with gold lettering on spine. The dustjacket's front panel shows a photo of actor William Powell, who played Nick in the Thin Man films, in 1930s dress; back panel has small black & white photo of Hammett. Both book and DJ show a bumped lower spine end, o/w boards and text are clean, complete and unmarked, tight and square, not remaindered. The DJ also shows a touch of of edge wear, but no tears, creases or chipping. Not price-clipped. A collectable copy.