Books

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1931. First American Edition. Attractive copy of Hammett's fourth novel. "Like Personville in Red Harvest, the city is controlled by crooked politicians in league with various mobster factions; but in The Glass Key Hammett gives us an insider's view of the corruption and in fact creates a corrupt political henchman as his protagonist" (Pronzini & Muller, p.335). Widely regarded as one of Hammett's finest works, The Glass Key was serialized in the pages of Black Mask between March-June, 1930; Hammett would later settle down and revise the novel for Knopf, who published it first in London in January, 1931, and then in New York in April, 1931. Filmed twice, most notably Stuart Heisler's 1942 film noir starring Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake, and Alan Ladd. A Haycraft-Queen cornerstone title. Layman A4.2.a. First Printing. Octavo (19.5cm); jade green cloth, with titling and decorative elements stamped in burgundy and dark green on spine and front cover; dark…

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.

First editions of 'The Glass Key' published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1931 typically have the publisher's borzoi dog logo on the copyright page and lack subsequent printings or editions mentioned.