The Thin Man (1934) is a hardboiled detective novel by Dashiell Hammett. Although he never wrote a sequel, the book became the basis for a successful film series which began with The Thin Man and starred William Powell and Myrna Loy. A "Thin Man" television series followed in the 1950s. Image File history File links ThinMannovel. ... Hardboiled crime fiction is a uniquely American style pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, refined by Raymond Chandler, and endlessly imitated since by writers such as Mickey Spillane. ... Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. ... The Thin Man was the first of six comic detective films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a hard-drinking and flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they easily solve crimes. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... The Thin Man was a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man (1933) by Dashiell Hammett. ...

An early draft of the story, written several years before the published version, and now in print in several collections of Hammett's work, does not mention the main characters of the novel, Nick and Nora Charles, and breaks off after ten chapters. It is about a quarter of the length of the finished book.

The Thin Man is Hammett's last novel.

Plot summary

The story is set in Prohibition-era New York City. The main characters are a former private detective, Nick Charles, and his clever young wife, Nora. Nick has given up his career since marrying Nora, a wealthy socialite, and he now spends most of his time cheerfully getting drunk in hotel rooms and speakeasies. Nick and Nora have no children, but they do own a Schnauzer named Asta. The term Prohibition, also known as A Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... A private investigator, or PI, is a person who undertakes investigations. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A Schnauzer is a German type of dog. ... Asta (born Skippy) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier best known for his acting work in the 1934 screwball comedy The Thin Man. ...

The two decide to investigate a murder because Nora thinks it will be fun. The case brings them in contact with a rather grotesque family, the Wynants, and also with an assortment of policemen and lowlifers. As they attempt to solve the case, Nick and Nora share a great deal of banter and snappy dialogue, along with copious amounts of alcohol. The characters of Nick and Nora are often thought to reflect the personalities of Hammett and his long-time lover, Lillian Hellman. Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was a successful American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes. ...

Trivia

• Contemporary readers are often struck by the main character's obvious alcoholism, and by Hammett's attempts to portray him as urbane and debonair nonetheless. Interestingly, Hammett's successful writing career roughly coincides with Prohibition.^[1] Although he lived many more years, this novel, which appeared in 1933, was his last.

• In the novel, Nick and Nora's dog Asta is a schnauzer; in the film series, Asta is a wire fox terrier.

See also

• Nick and Nora Charles

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy in the 1939 film Another Thin Man) Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. ...

Editions

• Holiday House, 2001 (reprint), ISBN 1-883402-70-0, hardbound
• Vintage, 1989 (reprint), ISBN 0-679-72263-7, paperback
• REB, Inc. (Renaissance Ebooks), 2006, ISBN not available, audio book

Footnotes

1. Kleinzahler, August. "The Inebriate Life: Alcohol Didn't Slow Hammett's Profuse Prose." The San Francisco Chronicle, February 6, 2005. (Read article here)
(Kleinzahler in fact ascribes the end of Hammett's career not to his alcoholism but to inherent limitations in the hardboiled detective genre, and to Hammett's inability to transcend this genre)