Books

First edition in book form, first impression, first issue, preceding the US edition by three months. Hammett's classic crime-fiction novel has inspired the films of 1935 and 1942, Orson Welles's radio play of 1939, and the Glass Key award for Scandinavian crime literature. The trophy for the award, founded in 1992 and still running today, consists of an actual glass key. This copy has Knopf's binding and title page, denoting first issue. Based in New York, Knopf first published the work in London during his attempts to enter the UK publishing market. The enterprise failed and led in part to the remaindering of the title with Cassell's cancelled title page and binding. The Glass Key was initially serialized the previous year in Black Mask magazine. Octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in red, white key on spine and front cover, publisher's red device on rear cover, top edge blue. Housed in custom red cloth folding case with black spine label. Title page printed in black and green. Rear pastedown with bookseller's ticket of B. T. Batsford. Slight lean to sunned spine, very mild offsetting to endpapers, contents clean. A near-fine copy. Layman A4.1.

The Glass Key is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in 1931. This work is a classic of the hard-boiled detective fiction genre and is noted for its gritty portrayal of corruption and political influence.