Non-Fiction Books

A selection from the letters of Dashiell Hammett, the American writer of crime fiction. Here is Hammett the family man, distant but devoted; Hammett the student of politics, scanning the headlines from a Marxist perspective; and Hammett the lover of Lillian Hellman, delighting in her style, humour, accomplishments, but maintaining his independence. Celebrity, soldier, activist, survivor--these letters show how Hammett was each of these in turn, but was always, above all, a writer.

Though he is celebrated for his fiction, Dashiell Hammett was also a nonfiction writer, and some of those writings are anthologized for the first time in this collection. All the pieces that ran in Hammett's syndicated newspaper column "The Crime Wave" are included, along with additional essays on writing well, politics, good and bad mysteries, effective advertising, and the World War II Battle of the Aleutians. Dozens of illustrations, advertisements, and photographs that have never before appeared in book form are included, along with an introduction for each selection and notes that provide insights into Hammett's craft, the evolution of detective fiction, and American popular culture of the time.