The Thin Man is a 1934 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of Redbook. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main characters Nick and Nora Charles, and Hammett was hired to provide scripts for the first two. No. 1 on The New York Times Fiction best seller list for 3 weeks, from the issue of January 15, 1934. Wiki link