(In defense, Hammett first serialized the novel in four parts in Black Mask magazine, where a recasting of the plot would have proven helpful to readers). Regular exposition in the form of formulating theories about the crimes as they build up.

The flaws, so you know them going in, are a wildly convoluted plot that even with careful reading you may find hard to follow. Here, what begins as a simple jewelry insurance investigation by the, as usual, unnamed Continental Op, expands in short order into a novel of multiple murders, dope addiction, child abuse, and religious cultism for money, not to mention criminal mastermind manipulation. If just one of these elements is omitted, the work is deemed to be published without notice and is not eligible for copyright protection.įile:The Dain Curse (1st ed dust jacket).Hammett’s The Dain Curse, for all of its many flaws, still bears his hallmarks that make reading him nearly ninety years after first publication fun.

'The name of the copyright owner, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner.'.'The year of first publication for the work' and.'The symbol © or the word 'Copyright' or the abbreviation 'Copr.' or an acceptable variant such as '(c)'.Keep in mind that the pre-1989 requirements for copyright notice were highly formalistic and, other than a few enumerated exceptions, required these three elements: The jacket's lack of a copyright notice is self-verifying someone looking to double-check can examine the entire image of the dust jacket, linked below. Likewise, a notice appearing in a book is not an acceptable notice for the dust jacket or any material appearing on that dust jacket, even if the book refers to the jacket or material appearing on the jacket.' 'A notice of copyright on the dust jacket of a book is not an acceptable notice for the book, because the dust jacket is not permanently attached to the book. Copyright Office Practices: Chapter 2200, § 2207.1(C) at p. However, the first-edition dust jacket did not carry a separate copyright notice. The hardcover book itself carried a copyright notice, so its contents remain copyrighted.

Second, the dust jacket was first published prior to 1978 without a valid copyright notice.First, the photo is a mechanical scan/photocopy of the original cover and does not qualify for independent copyright protection.

The dain curse dashiell hammett