Books

First Impression. Octavo (19.5cm); orange cloth, with titling and pictorial elements stamped in black on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [6],7-284,[4]pp. Pictorial bookplate and private library stamp of Italian bibliophile Giuseppe Orlando, with his holograph signature and date of acquisition (Feb. 1935) at upper margin of title page. Base of spine gently nudged, some very faint adhesive residue surrounding the bookplate, else a fresh, Fine copy. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced 7/6 net), gently spine-sunned and lightly edgeworn, with some mild dustiness, and a few small edge tears and attendant creases; an unrestored, Very Good+ example. Hammett's fifth and final novel, a commercial success upon publication, selling more than 30,000 copies within a few months of its release on 8 January 1934. The UK edition followed Knopf's four months later, with portions of the text revised by Hammett, and like all UK editions of Hammett books, it is considerably scarcer than its American counterpart. Basis for W.S. Van Dyke's film of the same name released later the same year, and spawning a successful series of subsequent films through 1947. Uncommon in dustjacket, with the last collectible example offered at the Rechler sale (Christies, 2002). Layman A6.3; Hubin, p.185.

The Thin Man is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in the December 1933 issue of Redbook. It is the last novel Hammett completed and features the characters Nick and Nora Charles, who would later become widely recognized through the series of films made from the book.