Customer Reviews

The Critical Response to Dashiell Hammett (Critical Responses in Arts and Letters)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A collection of criticism and reviews of Hammett's writings, starting with the reviews that came out when Hammett's books were first published and ending with pieces written in 1994. Includes a section on each of Hammett's five major novels, plus a catch-all "General Studies" section. This is not a book for casual escapist reading, but is a useful reference for in-depth research into Hammett and his writings, especially his five novels.

The book begins with a 23-page introduction by editor Christopher Metress, providing a detailed yet comprehensive overview of changing critical attitudes towards Hammett and his works.

Reviews of Hammett's first novel Red Harvest follow; first 3 reviews from the book's first publication in 1929, followed by 7 reviews from later years (1941-1991). Next come 4 1929 reviews and 5 later reviews of The Dain Curse, 2 reviews from 1930 and 9 later reviews of The Maltese Falcon, 5 1931 reviews and 7 later reviews of The Glass Key, and 4 1934 reviews and 4 later reviews of The Thin Man.

A section called "General Studies" includes an excerpt from Raymond Chandler's famous essay "The Simple Art of Murder," Steven Marcus' influential piece "Dashiell Hammett and the Continental Op," Ross Macdonald's "Homage to Dashiell Hammett, a 1994 evaluation of Woman in the Dark by Larry Anderson, and 5 additional essays.

The book concludes with a very useful 7-page "Additional Readings" section, listing most of the important writings on Hammett's works that were published before 1994, and a helpful index.

All in all, if you are serious about investigating Hammett's writings, you will find this anthology a useful tool.

Great book! If you like Dashiell Hammett, this is the book to read. Excellent descriptive passages.