Red Harvest
Dashiell Hammett, 1929
HAMMETT, Dashiell (1894-1961). Red Harvest. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1929.

Fine first edition of Hammett's first book, in true first state dust jacket. Narrated by the Continental Op, Hammett's first novel begins with the mysterious murder of a newspaper publisher in "Poisonville", a mining town in the American West. Red Harvest, first published in February 1929, was quickly followed by The Dain Curse that July, and The Maltese Falcon in February the following year. Red Harvest saw its second printing in March 1930, just after The Maltese Falcon appeared. This copy is in the very rare true first state dust jacket, with the publisher's plot synsopsis on the lower cover as opposed to reviews. This state is so rare it was no seen by Hammett's bibliographer, Richard Layman, who incorrectly described the second printing jacket as the first. See Layman A1.1.a.

Octavo. Publisher's deep red cloth stamped in black and yellow, green top edge (small rub to front cover); dust jacket (few spots visible in blank areas, a couple of short, closed tears along top edge); custom quarter morocco clamshell box.