In the Beginning: The First Hard-Boiled Private Eye Story

The First Hard-Boiled Private Eye Story

"Firsts" are the sort of game literary historians, scholars and bookgeeks love to play, giving them a chance to strut their stuff, loudly and proudly offering up the most blurry of distinctions and the most wishy-washy of definitions, turning hair-splittery into a fine art -- and occasionally a contact sport.

So what was the first hard-boiled private eye story, then?

That seems to depend on how you define "first," "hard-boiled" "private eye" and possibly "story."

But I digress. Here are the prime suspects. Let the hair-splittery commence...

"The False Burton Combs"
By Carroll John Daly
First appeared in the December 1922 issue of The Black Mask
Detective: Nameless

"The Road Home"
By Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett)
First appeared in the December 1922 issue of The Black Mask
Detective: Hagedorn

"Three Gun Terry"
By Carroll John Daly
First appeared in the May 15, 1923 issue of The Black Mask
Detective: Three Gun Terry

"Knights of the Open Palm"
By Carroll John Daly
First appeared in the June 1923 issue of The Black Mask
Detective: Race Williams

"Arson Plus"
By Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett)
First appeared in the October 1923 issue of The Black Mask
Detective: The Continental Op

SEE ALSO

In the Beginning: Early Historical and Literary Influences on the Genre

Drop a dime. Your comments, suggestions, corrections and contributions are always welcome.
"...and I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk."