Dashiell Hammett (1894 - 1961)
Dashiell Hammett dropped out of school at the age of thirteen, worked at low-paying jobs and ended up as a detective in San Francisco. He quit the agency and began his career in writing.
He had a significant influence on a generation of writers with his introduction of the tough, cold and calculating detective. He served in both World War I and II, the latter at age forty-eight. His works include: The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, and The Glass Key.