Friday Freebie: The Hunter and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammett

Congratulations to Sharon Nakagawa and Christine Norris, winners of last week's Friday Freebie: If I'd Known You Were Coming by Kate Milliken.

This week's book giveaway is sure to appeal to hard-boiled mystery fans.  I've got a copy of The Hunter and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammett to put into one lucky reader's hands.  The collection--"Call this volume Hammett Unplugged," co-editor Richard Layman says in his introduction--will be published by The Mysterious Press next month and it's a beauty of a book--not just physically, but for what it represents: previously uncollected writings by one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century.  Here's the publisher's synopsis for The Hunter and Other Stories:

This volume includes both new Hammett stories gleaned from his personal archives along with screen treatments long buried in film-industry files.  The best of Dashiell Hammett's unfamiliar treasures have been rescued from deep in these archives: screen stories, unpublished and rarely published fiction, and intriguing unfinished narratives.  Hammett is regarded as both a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen and half stories that explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light.  The collection also includes two full-length screen treatments.  "On the Make" is the basis for the rarely seen 1935 film Mr. Dynamite, starring a corrupt detective who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of his clients rather than help them.  "The Kiss-Off" is the basis for City Streets (1931), with Sylvia Sydney and Gary Cooper caught in a romance complicated by racketeering's obligations and temptations.  Like the screen stories from Return of the Thin Man, they read as novellas--rich in both story and character.  Publication of these new volumes is due to the passion of Julie M. Rivett, Hammett's granddaughter and a well-regarded Hammett scholar, as well as Richard Layman, the author of the first full-length biography of Hammett, Shadow Man, the definitive bibliography, and other works.  Rivett and Layman are trustees for Hammett's literary estate and have co-edited two previous Hammett volumes: Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett and Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers.  The Hunter and Other Stories will appeal to longtime Hammett fans, and introduce a new generation to one of the most influential voices in American fiction.

If you'd like a chance at winning The Hunter and Other Stories, simply email your name and mailing address to

thequiveringpen@gmail.com

Put FRIDAY FREEBIE in the e-mail subject line.  One entry per person, please.  Despite its name, the Friday Freebie runs all week long and remains open to entries until midnight on Oct. 24, at which time I'll draw the winning name.  I'll announce the lucky reader on Oct. 25.  If you'd like to join the mailing list for the once-a-week newsletter, simply add the words "Sign me up for the newsletter" in the body of your email.  Your email address and other personal information will never be sold or given to a third party (except in those instances where the publisher requires a mailing address for sending Friday Freebie winners copies of the book).

Want to double your odds of winning?  Get an extra entry in the contest by posting a link to this webpage on your blog, your Facebook wall or by tweeting it on Twitter.  Once you've done any of those things, send me an additional e-mail saying "I've shared" and I'll put your name in the hat twice.