Description

Franklin Library leather edition of Dashiell Hammett's "The Continental Op," a Limited edition, one of the COLLECTED STORIES OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WRITERS series, illustrated by Gary Kelley, published in 1984. Bound in deep hunter green leather, the book has moire silk end leaves, a satin book marker, hubbed spine, acid-free paper, Symth-sewn binding, gold gilding on three edges---in near FINE condition---except for 'minor specs' on top gilt. Dashiell Hammett, who lived from 1894-1961, was an author of detective stories, including "The Thin Man" and "The Maltese Falcon." He and Lillian Hellman were lovers. "The Continental Op" is a fictional character, a private investigator employed as an operative of the Continental Dectective Agency's San Francisco office. The stories are told in the first person and his name is never given. The Continental Op is a master of deceit in the exercise of his occupation. In his 1927 "Black Mask" story "$106,000 Blood Money" the Op is confronted with a dilemma: should he expose a corrupt fellow detective, thereby hurting the reputation of his agency; and should he also allow an informant to collect the $106,000 reward in a big case even though he is morally certain—but cannot prove—that the informant has murdered one of his agency's clients? The Op resolves his two problems neatly by manipulating events so that the corrupt detective and the informant get into an armed confrontation in which both are killed. Decades of witnessing human cruelty, misery, and ruin, as well as being instrumental in sending hundreds of people to jail, or to the gallows, have greatly weakened the Op's natural sympathy with his fellow men. Stories include: "The Tenth Clew," "The Golden Horseshoe," "The House in Turk Street," "The Girl With the Silver Eyes," "The Whosis Kid," "The Main Death," and "The Farewell Murder." 259 pages. I offer combined shipping.