BobT recently gave an admirably detailed account of how
several of Hammett's novels originally appeared as a series
of semi-autonomous short stories in *Black Mask* prior to
book publication. I would differ with him on only one point.
He states that *The GLass Key*, like *The Maltese Falcon* was
written as a single, cohesive novel, rather than a series of
linked novelettes. In fact *The Glass Key*, Like *Blood
Money*, *Red Harvest*, and *The Dain Curse*, first appeared
in *Black Mask* as a consecutive series of semi-automous
installments, each of the four parts written so that it could
simultaneously serve as a both serial chapter and as a
separate short story. If, in its book form, this does not
seem to be the case, it is because Hammett had, by this time,
mastered the the knack of concealing the seams. However, if
you read the book *knowing* its magazine publication history,
and put it down after completing roughly a quarter, the
"separateness" of each part becomes more evident.
JIM DOHERTY
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