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Treasure Trove of Dashiell Hammett Stories Unearthed at Ransom Center

A portrait of author Dashiell Hammett by Edward Biberman hangs in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Image courtesy cliff1066 at flickr.com
A portrait of author Dashiell Hammett by Edward Biberman hangs in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Fifteen previously unknown short stories by Dashiell Hammett have been found in the archives of UT's Harry Ransom Center.  Hammett, who penned such classics as "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Thin Man" is considered by many to be the father of the American "hard boiled" detective fiction.  The discovery of the new stories by Andrew F. Gulli, editor of The Strand mystery magazine, was reported today in The Daily Beast

Gulli told the Daily Beast that it is not uncommon for authors not to publish works they find inferior. What struck him about the fifteen new Hammett stories was  "everything was so well written that I was surprised that none of them was ever published."

Gulli intends to publish one of the new stories in The Strand later this month.

Mose Buchele focuses on energy and environmental reporting at KUT. Got a tip? Email him at mbuchele@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @mosebuchele.