Red Harvest
Registered by 
crimson-tide
of Balingup, Western Australia Australia on 4/16/2007
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
crimson-tide of Balingup, Western Australia Australia on 4/16/2007 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Monday, April 16, 2007
crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Monday, April 16, 2007
From Library Journal:"The Continental Op, hero of this mystery, is a cool, experienced employee of the Continental Detective Agency. Client Donald Wilson has been killed, and the Op must track down his murderer. Personville, better known as Poisonville, is an unattractive company town, owned by Donald's father, Elihu, but controlled by several competing gangs. Alienated by the local turf wars, the Op finagles Elihu into paying for a second job, "cleaning up Poisonville." Confused yet? This is only the beginning of an incredibly convoluted plot. Hammett's exquisitely defined characters - the shabby, charming, and completely mercenary lady-of-the-evening; the lazy, humorous yet cold and avaricious police chief; and especially the tautly written, gradual disintegration of the Op's detached personality - make this a compelling read."
This is a very old Penguin Crime edition published in 1963, with different cover art.
Original price 55 cents!
** Edited to add: Following its long journey through the BookRing the cover is a little worse for wear and has been repaired with tape, but the book is still totally readable.
I understand some-one's dog wanted to read it! ;D
Journal Entry 2 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, August 1, 2007
crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, August 1, 2007
.This is one of the "1001 books you must read before you die".
Offering as a bookring (international).
Participants:
1. jubby (Aus) - post anywhere
2. CaterinaAnna (UK) - post anywhere
3. shnedwards (UK) - post anywhere
4. GateGypsy (Canada) - post anywhere
5. tqd (Aus) - will post anywhere
6. FreePages (Aus) - Aus postage
7. crimson-tide (Aus) - back to me
No specific rules - just good manners; and let us know what is happening please.
If anyone else wishes to jump aboard, you only need to send me a PM.
Journal Entry 3 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, February 3, 2008
crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, February 3, 2008
Yes, I know - I'm slack! I gathered that everyone was pretty bookringed out atm, especially with 1001 books, so there was no harm in waiting. As I now have another book to send to jubby, there is no better time to get this one on the road and travelling.
Yay, this bookring book arrived in the post today, along with a lovely RABCK.
And yes, Crimson-Tide, you were right, I at least had lots of other bookrings, and was not at all put out by the timing of bookring arriving.
Will read in the not too distant future.
Thank you Crimson-Tide.
And yes, Crimson-Tide, you were right, I at least had lots of other bookrings, and was not at all put out by the timing of bookring arriving.
Will read in the not too distant future.
Thank you Crimson-Tide.
I still can't get over how much I enjoyed this book.
It was cliched, but with lots of old school detective jargon (it took me a while to figure out what a 'blackjack' was), and all the subsidiary characters kept dying once they had served their purpose - and I couldn't put it down.
One of my favourite passages is from page 78:
She looked as if she were telling the truth, though with women, especially blue-eyed women, that doesn't always mean anything.
He, he, he!
Yes, this was a quick and fun little read. I can't see myself going out to hunt down other Dashiell Hammett books (well, maybe just 'The Maltese falcon'), and I wouldn't be surprised if they were written to a formula, but as a once off read, for historical reference this was an entertaining little read.
Thank you for sharing it with me.
It was cliched, but with lots of old school detective jargon (it took me a while to figure out what a 'blackjack' was), and all the subsidiary characters kept dying once they had served their purpose - and I couldn't put it down.
One of my favourite passages is from page 78:
She looked as if she were telling the truth, though with women, especially blue-eyed women, that doesn't always mean anything.
He, he, he!
Yes, this was a quick and fun little read. I can't see myself going out to hunt down other Dashiell Hammett books (well, maybe just 'The Maltese falcon'), and I wouldn't be surprised if they were written to a formula, but as a once off read, for historical reference this was an entertaining little read.
Thank you for sharing it with me.
Journal Entry 6 by jubby at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Released 16 yrs ago (3/4/2008 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Posted to CaterineAnna.
Posted to CaterineAnna.
Journal Entry 7 by Caterinaanna from Coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, March 8, 2008
Arrived at some point earlier today.
I'm having one of those periods where ring and ray books are impersonating buses and all arriving at once, so this is to be preceeded by a couple of others. However, I'm babysitting a docile niece this evening so plenty of reading time.
I'm having one of those periods where ring and ray books are impersonating buses and all arriving at once, so this is to be preceeded by a couple of others. However, I'm babysitting a docile niece this evening so plenty of reading time.
Journal Entry 8 by Caterinaanna from Coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, March 30, 2008
Actually, I didn't get to it for a while after that and read most of it on a train.
With chapter titles like The Swell Spoon, A Tip on Kid Cooper and Whisper's Joint it doesn't take much to imagine the style of writing in this. Think of all those black and white gangster movies with tough-talking blokes and brittle women who are murdered soon after they reveal their heart of gold and you can imagine the outlines of the plot too. There are lots of twists and turns for such a little book, so it kept me entertained. I'll read others by this chap that I come across or that are on the list, but probably won't search for others.
I've PM'd shnedwards ...
With chapter titles like The Swell Spoon, A Tip on Kid Cooper and Whisper's Joint it doesn't take much to imagine the style of writing in this. Think of all those black and white gangster movies with tough-talking blokes and brittle women who are murdered soon after they reveal their heart of gold and you can imagine the outlines of the plot too. There are lots of twists and turns for such a little book, so it kept me entertained. I'll read others by this chap that I come across or that are on the list, but probably won't search for others.
I've PM'd shnedwards ...
Journal Entry 9 by Caterinaanna at Bookring in a RABCK, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, April 6, 2008
Released 16 yrs ago (4/3/2008 UTC) at Bookring in a RABCK, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
On its way at last. Apologies for the delay.
On its way at last. Apologies for the delay.
Journal Entry 10 by 
shnedwards
from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Monday, April 7, 2008
shnedwards from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Monday, April 7, 2008
It's here! Thanks very much CaterinaAnna for sending this on and crimson-tide for sharing.
I have a couple of other bookring books ahead of this one but will get to it soon.
I have a couple of other bookring books ahead of this one but will get to it soon.
Journal Entry 11 by shnedwards from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, May 23, 2008
shnedwards from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, May 23, 2008
Well, it was fun to read the original noir that inspired all those imitations and spoofs. I had a bit of trouble working out what was going on with the slang, though, dopey old me.
PMing the Klondike Kid now...
On its way as of 7th June 2008
PMing the Klondike Kid now...
On its way as of 7th June 2008
I'm the Klondike Kid now? **giggle** This book is here and safe. It's further down my list of prioritized reads, but I'll get to it! Thanks for sharing!
I have tqd's addy! This book will be in the mail by the end of next week.
My sincerest apologies for the delay. I hope that you enjoy it, tqd!
My sincerest apologies for the delay. I hope that you enjoy it, tqd!
Book turned up this week, safe and sound. Thanks GateGypsy! Onto Mt TBR it goes...
The first of the Continental Op series by Dashiell Hammett who single-handedly invented hard-boiled crime, if Wikipedia is to be believed. Red Harvest is set during the prohibition era in a small mining town, Personville - more commonly known as Poisonville - which is riddled with corruption. The (unnamed) Continental Op is called in to solve the murder of the town's founding father and source of all its corruption. You see, some years before, Daddy brought in some hard men to break the Union. The hard men did that, then looked around, liked what they saw, and settled in. With corruption going all the way to the top, it's every man for himself.
Our hero solves the murder by about page 60, which was a bit of a surprise to me. But then turns his sights on cleaning up the corruption of Personville. However, it proves to be far too easy to slide into corruption himself in his quest to clean up...
I loved the atmosphere of this book. There were beautiful tough dames, ugly tough men, gunfights in the middle of the town on what seemed to be a daily schedule at one stage, tight dialogue, touches of dry humour, and gripping action. But most of all, it's not a clear-cut book, it is filled with moral ambiguities with our hero's actions being most un-heroic, even when done for the best of intentions.
'Look. I sat at Willsson's table tonight and played them like you'd play trout, and got just as much fun out of it. I looked at Noonan and knew he hadn't a chance in a thousand of living another day because of what I had done to him, and laughed, and felt warm and happy inside. That's not me. I've got hard skin all over what's left of my soul, and after twenty years of messing around with crime I can look at any sort of a murder without seeing anything in it but my bread and butter, the day's work. But this getting a rear out of planning deaths is not natural to me. It's what this place has done to me.'
"Poisonville" is a very apt name for the town, poisoning everyone's lives.
I have FreePages' address already, but will hold off posting it until I finish another book I owe her. Thanks for the great read, crimson-tide!
Our hero solves the murder by about page 60, which was a bit of a surprise to me. But then turns his sights on cleaning up the corruption of Personville. However, it proves to be far too easy to slide into corruption himself in his quest to clean up...
I loved the atmosphere of this book. There were beautiful tough dames, ugly tough men, gunfights in the middle of the town on what seemed to be a daily schedule at one stage, tight dialogue, touches of dry humour, and gripping action. But most of all, it's not a clear-cut book, it is filled with moral ambiguities with our hero's actions being most un-heroic, even when done for the best of intentions.
'Look. I sat at Willsson's table tonight and played them like you'd play trout, and got just as much fun out of it. I looked at Noonan and knew he hadn't a chance in a thousand of living another day because of what I had done to him, and laughed, and felt warm and happy inside. That's not me. I've got hard skin all over what's left of my soul, and after twenty years of messing around with crime I can look at any sort of a murder without seeing anything in it but my bread and butter, the day's work. But this getting a rear out of planning deaths is not natural to me. It's what this place has done to me.'
"Poisonville" is a very apt name for the town, poisoning everyone's lives.
I have FreePages' address already, but will hold off posting it until I finish another book I owe her. Thanks for the great read, crimson-tide!
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
In the post to FreePages today.
Happy reading!
In the post to FreePages today.
Happy reading!
Journal Entry 17 by FreePages from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Red Harvest is here.
Another little book from the 1001 list. I hope it is easier to read then one other little novel from the 1001 list that I've been trying to read!
Onto Mount Toobie it goes.
Thanks for sending it on tqd :-)
Journal Entry 18 by FreePages from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
This was a good little novel to start on, while waiting for my eldest son to have his broken collarbone pinned.
It did take me a few days after that to finish it.
I thought it was a bit cliched until I realised that this is the original goods!
All it need was Bogart as the lead and it would have been complete :-)
Mobsters galore!
Thanks for the opportunity to read it, crimson-tide. Now I've realised that I've never read his other works, The Maltese Falcon & The Thin Man, I'll have to fix that at some stage.
I'll send this one home along with Silas Maner as soon as I get to him. That might take a while. Hope your not in any rush?
Hubby is keen to read this one now too.
Journal Entry 19 by crimson-tide at Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Tuesday, August 24, 2010
crimson-tide at Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Tuesday, August 24, 2010
This little book arrived home safely today after wandering the world for a couple of years. Thanks FreePages, and also thanks very much to you all.
OK, I've finally got to read this one myself...
As with the only other Dashiell Hammett I've read (The Thin Man), I had absolutely no idea what was going on most of the time. Talk about convoluted! Killings galore, double crossings and deception being the normal state of affairs, non stop action with gangsters and shoot outs in just about every chapter, and our world weary (unnamed) protagonist of course not only figuring it all out but often being one step ahead and playing all the baddies off against each other. Grand stuff! :-)
The dialogue was fun, with often totally unrecognisable and non-understandable slang. And the way everyone seemed to quite happily take our hero on board and unburden themselves to him when he has just wandered into town poking his nose into everything was pretty amusing.
As with the only other Dashiell Hammett I've read (The Thin Man), I had absolutely no idea what was going on most of the time. Talk about convoluted! Killings galore, double crossings and deception being the normal state of affairs, non stop action with gangsters and shoot outs in just about every chapter, and our world weary (unnamed) protagonist of course not only figuring it all out but often being one step ahead and playing all the baddies off against each other. Grand stuff! :-)
The dialogue was fun, with often totally unrecognisable and non-understandable slang. And the way everyone seemed to quite happily take our hero on board and unburden themselves to him when he has just wandered into town poking his nose into everything was pretty amusing.
Journal Entry 21 by crimson-tide at Mount Magnet, Western Australia Australia on Friday, August 5, 2016
crimson-tide at Mount Magnet, Western Australia Australia on Friday, August 5, 2016
Released 7 yrs ago (8/5/2016 UTC) at Mount Magnet, Western Australia Australia
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Offered on greenbadger's "One book a month offered 2016" thread for July.
Going off to Soozreader. Enjoy!
Going off to Soozreader. Enjoy!
Journal Entry 22 by 
Soozreader
at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Monday, August 15, 2016
Soozreader at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Monday, August 15, 2016
Thank you very much for this book that arrived safely today!:)
Journal Entry 23 by Soozreader at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Thursday, March 2, 2017
Soozreader at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Thursday, March 2, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was well-written and entertaining. I was surprised to notice that a fellow Finn was part of the story as one of the bad guys. The only bit I did not really like or understand why it was in the story was the bit where the main character's dreams are described.
Released 7 yrs ago (3/2/2017 UTC) at
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
The book is on its way to the next reader as a wishlist tag (kirjakko's tag forward). Happy reading!:)
Many thanks! I'm looking forward to this - next on my list to read! And then pass on. And thank you so much for the accompanying postcard and tea bags. Very kind indeed!
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Great story line and full of (highly improbable) action! Had me gripped from start to finish. Ready for further travels!
Released 7 yrs ago (4/8/2017 UTC) at
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Off travelling again!
Journal Entry 28 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Thursday, April 13, 2017
And end of travel again :-) Book arrived safely today, with a few extras. Thanks a lot, flambard, for sending out this book from my wishlist!
Look forward to reading it very much!
Look forward to reading it very much!
Journal Entry 29 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Sunday, January 10, 2021
When I picked this book from my shelf, I thought it would be a quick and easy read, a kind of 'in between' a quicky to get some 1001-reading done, but nothing too hard, serious or depressing.
Well, it was a nice read, no doubt about that. But it wasn't a quick and easy one.
The plot/story itself is simple enough: clean a small town of all thugs and let it get back to the way it was before all the criminal elements took over.
The language it was written in was not easy, mostly because of the slang. I'm not a native speaker (and I've never had classes in English slang, like we had for Russian :-)), so it was kind of a slow read for me.
I'm still amazed: this must be the detective with the most (indirect) deaths on his conscience in literature. I've never encountered a similar character in all the detectives I've read thus far.
Well, it was a nice read, no doubt about that. But it wasn't a quick and easy one.
The plot/story itself is simple enough: clean a small town of all thugs and let it get back to the way it was before all the criminal elements took over.
The language it was written in was not easy, mostly because of the slang. I'm not a native speaker (and I've never had classes in English slang, like we had for Russian :-)), so it was kind of a slow read for me.
I'm still amazed: this must be the detective with the most (indirect) deaths on his conscience in literature. I've never encountered a similar character in all the detectives I've read thus far.
Journal Entry 30 by Boekentrol at Paddy O'Ryan Irish Pub in Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Released 3 yrs ago (3/30/2021 UTC) at Paddy O'Ryan Irish Pub in Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
In the green bookcase outside the side entrance of Paddy's.
Congratulations--you caught a book!
Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!
If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, we encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold.
Take your time reading the book, and after you finish, please make another journal entry to record your thoughts about it. This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, though we would love for you to share it. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.
Whatever you decide to do, please leave the label intact, so the book has a chance to keep in touch with us. Thanks and enjoy!
Congratulations--you caught a book!
Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!
If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, we encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold.
Take your time reading the book, and after you finish, please make another journal entry to record your thoughts about it. This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, though we would love for you to share it. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.
Whatever you decide to do, please leave the label intact, so the book has a chance to keep in touch with us. Thanks and enjoy!
