The P.I. Sam That G.I. Joes Missed

During World War II, roughly 122 million lightweight paperback books were distributed to members of the U.S. military in an “audacious and revolutionary” campaign to bring entertainment and knowledge to U.S. soldiers stationed abroad. The publication of those compact, horizontally formatted Armed Services Editions of more than 1,200 works—fiction and non-fiction, biographies, poetry, and more—“became one of the Army’s best morale boosters,” Literary Hub recalled a couple of years back, “offering a bit of light during those dark days. It also helped shepherd in an era of paperback supremacy and create millions of voracious readers in the process.”

The books’ size made it handy for soldiers to “tuck them away somewhere and hopefully finish a book at a later time,” says Book Riot. “Books were shared amongst soldiers, and they were so popular that many men began requesting specific titles and genres.”

Authors well represented in the ASE collection included Robert Benchley, Joseph Conrad, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zane Grey, Jack London, H.P. Lovecraft, John O’Hara, W. Somerset Maugham, Edgar Allan Poe, Luke Short, George R. Stewart, Bram Stoker, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, and H.G. Wells. Also made available were mysteries by Erle Stanley Gardner, Frances and Richard Lockridge, John P. Marquand, Ngaio Marsh, Craig Rice, and others.

(Above) Field Notes’ edition of Hammett’s classic detective yarn.

One talented fictionist who did not make the cut, despite the popularity of his short stories and novels, was Dashiell Hammett. Could the volunteer advisory panel charged with selecting the works for servicemen have been squeamish about Hammett’s membership in the Communist Party? Whatever the reason, his was a notable exclusion.

But that wrong is finally being righted by American notebook maker Field Notes, which has lately brought to market an ASE-style edition of Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, featuring “the original text … as serialized in Black Mask magazine” in 1929. It even carries the promise on its front cover so familiar from the wartime releases: “This Is the Complete Book—Not a Digest.” Modern writer Kevin Guilfoile contributes an introduction to this edition. As the company’s Web site explains, “It’s the first new ASE since the program was ended in 1947.”

Field Notes is currently selling its pocket-size Maltese Falcon separately, for $18.95 (plus shipping), or as a bonus atop its newest three-pack seasonal offering of notebooks. Click here to order.

Between the issuance of Max Allan Collins’ Return of the Maltese Falcon and Poltroon Press’ handsome hardcover version of Hammett’s single Sam Spade novel—both coming out in early January—plus this new Armed Services Edition of Falcon, the occasion of Hammett’s best-known private eye tale falling into the public domain on January 1, 2026, is certainly being well celebrated!