The stories themselves were not very good. What saved the book was Emery's digging into Hammett's life. What an interesting 20th century man. ( )

This is a collection of 21 of Dashiell Hammett's stories that have never before appeared in an anthology, and for some this is the first time they have been printed since they appeared in magazine form early in Hammett's career. Interspersed with the stories is a condensed version of Hammett's biography, showing what he was doing while writing these stories and discussing how his tumultuous lifestyle effected his writing. These stories are mostly all great. There are one or two that I didn't particularly like, however they were far outweighed by those that I did. Even in Hammett's earlier writing you could see the style and prose that helped him rise to the fore of mystery writers. Standout stories include: "The Road Home," about a man-hunter tracking his quarry to Africa, "The Joke on Eloise Morey," about a woman who witnesses her husbands suicide and gets arrested for his murder, "The Green Elephant," about a small time crook who gets more money than he knows what to do with, "Laughing Masks," a great story about Russian heiresses and gamblers, and "Itchy," A story about a small time crook who puts on airs and gets busted for his pains. There are others in this collection that are great, but these are the best. ( )

This book is an interesting compilation of some of Dashiell Hammett's lesser known works, some of which had not been published for many years. If one is looking for an anthology of simply short stories, then you would probably be disappointed with this book. There is a great deal of biographical and historical detail included along with each story which may either frustrate or interest some readers. I found the background information to be a useful tool while I was reading.

While I was reading this book, a conversation ensued about the differences between Hammett and Chandler, and how some people preferred one to the other. I would never be able to choose between the two authors for they both have their own unique styles and are true "hardboiled" masters.

Dashiell Hammett turned to writing mainly because he was afflicted with TB and was not expected to survive. Writing short stories and then eventually novels was not physically strenuous. I found the details in the book fascinating background information and told me a lot more than I previously knew about this great author of The Dain Curse, Maltese Falcon, and The Thin Man. ( )

This collection pulls together a variety of Hammett stories, few of which have ever been anthologized and none recently. Consequently the collection focuses on early, minor work. That’s not to say it’s bad, it is surprising to see what a good craftsman Hammett was right from the start. However, by and large this is not his top-drawer work.

http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2007/11/lost-stories-by-dashiell-hammett-this.h...