Re: RARA-AVIS: Collecting Hammett's short stories

From: ejmd__ ( ejmd__@ntlworld.com)
Date: 23 Sep 2002


> If you can correct something, or you know where to find a story
> that seems to be uncollected, please let me know.
[SNIP]

> These stories seem to be uncollected (perhaps with good reason):
>
> "The Crusader" (1923)
> "Diamond Wager" (1929)
> "Ester Entertains" (1924)
> "First Aide to Murder" (?)
> "Immortality" (1922)
> "The Man Who Loved Ugly Women" (1925?)
> "On the Way" (1932)
> "The Parthian Shot" (1922)
> "The Road Home" (1922)
> "A Tale of Two Women" (Saturday Home Magazine, ?)
> "This Little Pig" (1934)

'The Parthian Shot' isn't really a story, it's more a pithy anecdote, and runs to about 100 words. It was originally published in Nathan and Mencken's _The Smart Set_, but Hammett was directed to other titles for his work (eg The Black Mask). It is reproduced in full on p. 17 of Julian Symons, _Dashiell Hammett_ HBJ Album Biographies (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: NY, 1985).

Incidentally, a shot of the title, standfirst and head illustration of 'This Little Pig' (Colliers, March 1934) appears on page 113 of the above. Enough of the four columns of type is shown to suggest that the story is in the
'thin man' vein (if it's difficult to imagine such a thing, try 'smugly talky' instead). The standfirst describes the story as 'a hard-boiled romance of Hollywood, where, it would seem, they don't all love one another'.

"The Road Home" was first published in The Black Mask under the pseudonym Peter Collinson. It is collected in Herbert Ruhm, ed, _The Hard Boiled Detective: Stories from Black Mask Magazine 1920-1951_ (Coronet: London, 1979). The Coronet paperback is a reprint; the first edition is Random House 1977, which I note only because I have a vague notion that one or two stories were cut from the paperback edition of this collection.

The Crusader was credited to Mary Jane Hammett (The Smart Set). Diamond Wager was credited to Samuel Dashiell (Detective Fiction Weekly).

Several stories Bill cites as 'uncollected' are listed in Layman's bibliography as undated stories. They are also listed as 'unlocated' which means Layman wasn't able to find a copy.

"The Man Who Loved Ugly Women" Experience, no date but prob. pre May 1925.
"Another Perfect Crime" Experience, no date but prob. pre May 1925.
"A Tale of Two Women" Saturday Home Magazine, no date.
"First Aide to Murder" Saturday Home Magazine, no date.

OK, back to lurking ...

ED

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