$106,000 BLOOD MONEY - INSCRIBED TO LILLIAN HELLMAN by Hammett, Dashiell - 1943

New York: Lawrence E. Spivak, 1943. First Edition. First edition of Hammett's "novel" comprised of two stories - "The Big Knockover" and "$106,000 Blood Money" - in which the Continental Op "sets out to find the gang that robbed the Seaman's National Bank of several million dollars, and does battle with perhaps his most ruthless antagonist" (Pronzini & Muller, p.334). Both stories, which first appeared in the pages of Black Mask in 1927, are among Hammett's most anthologized works, and fine examples of the hard-boiled genre. As Hammett associations go, few are more coveted than those inscribed to his romantic partner; only two other titles inscribed to Hellman appear in the auction record, both in the Maurice Neville sale (Sotheby's, Nov.16, 2004): a fifth printing of The Maltese Falcon ($12,000) and the dedication copy of The Thin Man ($102,000). We are unable to locate any others among either Hammett's or Hellman's papers at the Ransom Center, or the Hammett collection at the University of South Carolina. Layman A9.1; Hubin, p.185. Digest-sized octavo (19cm); illustrated wrappers; 126,[2]pp. Inscribed by Hammett to Lillian Hellman on the copyright page, five days after publication, on her 38th birthday: " To Lillian - on the occasion of one of her birthdays / Dashiell (nothing is too good for the little woman) Hammett / June 20, 1943." Subtle lean, mild wear along joints, else Near Fine. Housed in a custom clamshell case by the Dragonfly Bindery.