Okay, I also confess to liking ISLANDS IN THE STREAM perhaps
beyond its merit. I was a huge Hemingway fan when it came out
and I was on orders for Vietnam and that was one of my two
treats to myself while waiting to ship out. I really liked
the first two sections. And, I also very much liked the
opening of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. As for A MOVABLE FEAST,
great read but any Hemingway version of a past event has to
be taken with lots of salt. The guy was deep into payback.
The more I learn about him the more awful he seems as a
person but jerk and asshole that he was, the man produced
some great stuff.
And, hey, I guess that's all that matters as it's
too late to add him to my Christmas card list or ask him to
be my valentine.
As for Hammett, most of those Mercury collections were
reprinted as Dell Mapbacks, although not the last one. There
was also a followup to THE BIG KNOCKOVER called THE
CONTINENTAL OP which had a big sale. I have not compared the
contents of those two (which I have) with NIGHTMARE TOWN,
which I have yet to buy. There was also a Dell Mapback by the
same name so I have read the title story and either in
Mercury or Mapback have the others in the series.
For what it's worth, I have always enjoyed the Op stories
more than Hammett's novels. Some I have given several
readings. I also prefer Hammett's fiction to Chandler's
although I must reread Chandler again soon as too much time
has passed and my opinions do change through the decades. I
specify fiction for I think Chandler's essays and letters are
brilliant and contain some of the most interesting writing on
writing I have ever read.
Richard Moore
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