Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Dashiell Hammett (born May 27, 1894, St. Mary’s County, Maryland, U.S.—died January 10, 1961, New York City, New York) was an American writer who created the hard-boiled school of detective fiction in popular short stories and novels that pioneered the use of tough, slangy prose and realistic urban settings. Many of Hammett’s works were adapted into movies that became among the finest examples of film noir. Among his indelible characters are Sam Spade, the quintessential...