Twenty-one unknown works from America's hard-boiled legend
A dogged P. I. who sees no reason to temper justice with mercy. A boxer whose fears lie outside the ring. A magician with a perilous dedication to his craft. An accidental hero struggling to redefine his identity. Lovers tangled in the attractions and regrets of their relationship. Sam Spade in the one murder mystery he'll never solve. These and other terrific tales make up The Hunter and Other Stories, a landmark literary publication from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, Dashiell Hammett. This collection introduces a dozen never-before-published stories gleaned from Hammett’s archives, revives five seldom seen short-fiction narratives, unveils three screen treatments unearthed from film-industry files, and concludes with an unfinished Sam Spade adventure discovered in a private collection. Hammett is regarded as a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these works show him in a broader light. His shrewd explorations of failed romance, hypocrisy, crass opportunism, and courage in the face of conflict will both reshape his legacy and reconfirm his extraordinary genius for dialogue, plot, and character.
This book’s full-length screen treatments include "On the Make,” the basis for the rarely screened 1935 film Mr. Dynamite — with a corrupt detective who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of his clients rather than help them—and "The Kiss-Off," the story for City Streets (1931), starring Sylvia Sydney and Gary Cooper, who play two people caught in a romance complicated by racketeering’s obligations and temptations. Containing perceptive commentary from distinguished Hammett biographer Richard Layman and Hammett’s granddoughter Julie M. Rivett, The Hunter and Other Stories will be a beloved addition to the canon for longtime Hammett fans and an uniquing introduction a new generation to one of the most influential voices in American fiction.