A Dashiell Hammett Companion

(Hardback)

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Description

Dashiell Hammett's writing career began with the publication of The Parthian Shot, a tiny short story in The Smart Set in 1922, and virtually ended when he published 3 outstanding stories in Collier's in 1934. During this period, he published 60 short stories, 5 novelsincluding The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Mana few minor poems, some nonfictional prose, and a series of astute book reviews. Though he lived until 1961, he wrote little after 1934 and suffered from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and other illnesses. His influence on other writers, however, and on movies and television, has survived to this day. This reference work is a comprehensive guide to Hammett's life and works. The volume begins with a chronology that highlights the major events in Hammett's life. The bulk of the book comprises alphabetically arranged entries for Hammett's works, characters, family members, and acquaintances. Some of the entries cite sources of additional information, and the volume concludes with a brief bibliography. While the reference is first and foremost a guide to Hammett, it is also a helpful aid to the study of the development of the American hard-boiled detective novel.

Reviews

A must for any studying the entirety of Orwell's literary achievements, as is Robert C. Gale's A Dashiell Hammett Companion.-The Midwest Book Review
This companion offers a handy reference source for Hammett's work....It will be useful to anyone studying 20th-century American authors or detective stories. Recommended for college and university libraries.-Choice
"A must for any studying the entirety of Orwell's literary achievements, as is Robert C. Gale's A Dashiell Hammett Companion."-The Midwest Book Review
"This companion offers a handy reference source for Hammett's work....It will be useful to anyone studying 20th-century American authors or detective stories. Recommended for college and university libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

ROBERT L. GALE is Professor Emeritus of American Literature at the University of Pittsburgh. His many books include A Sarah Orne Jewett Companion (1999), An F. Scott Fitzgerald Encyclopedia (1998), and A Herman Melville Encyclopedia (1995), and A Henry James Encyclopedia (1989), all available from Greenwood Press.