Professor's book traces detective writer's past

October 4, 2004

Before you read "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Thin Man" books, pick up LeRoy Panek’s most recent book about their author. "Reading Early Hammett" is a critical study of Dashiell Hammett’s early writing from its beginnings in 1923.

At one time a Pinkerton cop in Baltimore, Hammett honed his writing skills on satirical magazine pieces and tales of sex, crime and adventure for magazines.

Although his later works – "Maltese Falcon" and the "Thin Man" books – delivered fame, he sharpened his skills and kept food on the table writing both stories and novels about a middle-aged detective named Continental Op.

"Hammett was the first and most important writer of hard-boiled detective stories, a genre that’s uniquely American," says author LeRoy Panek, professor of English at McDaniel College. Currently there are about 100 writers of the same kind of fiction, he says.

"The hard-boiled detective stories feature the loner, the private eye," says Panek. "He speaks in the language of the common man." The narration in the novels uses slang – colorful language that is American English.

Award-winning author of seven books, many of them about crime fiction, Panek says the most difficult part of "Reading Early Hammett" was the research – simply finding Hammett’s early works to read. Persistence paid off, and Panek was able to look back at the history of this genre and experience its development.

Most fans of detective novels know Dashiell Hammett by his famous characters, Sam Slade of "Maltese" and Nick and Nora Charles of the "Thin Man" series. But true enthusiasts will enjoy following Hammett’s growth as a writer through the pages of Panek’s book.

Beginning with Hammett’s magazine fiction through to the final Continental Op stories, "Reading Early Hammett" guides the reader and follows through with a concluding chapter about Hammett’s career, style and place in the history of detective fiction.

"Reading Early Hammett" is available in the McDaniel College bookstore and online at www.Amazon.com.

For more information, contact Peggy Fosdick, director of communications, at 410-857-2293.