1/26/1931 The Glass Key is turned

January 26, 1931.  What a terrible cover.  Dashiell Hammett's fourth (and favorite) novel, The Glass Key, was published by Knopf on this date in England, and in the U.S. three months later.  It is the grim story of Ned Beaumont, a gambler, who investigates the murder of a senator's son for his friend, a crooked political boss.

The book has been filmed twice, and inspired such movies as Yojimbo, and Miller's Crossing.  The prize for the best Nordic crime novel is the Glass Key Award.