James M. Cain (1892–1977)
Author of The Postman Always Rings Twice
About the Author
Mystery writer James Mallahan Cain was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1892. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Washington College, and served in the military as editor-in-chief of the official newspaper of the 79th Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Cain worked as a staff reporter for the show more Baltimore Sun; he became a professor of journalism in the 1920s; he worked as a Hollywood screenwriter in the 1930s and 40s. Many of his stories, including Double Indemnity (1943), have been made into successful films. Joan Crawford won an Academy Award in 1945 for her portrayal of Cain's Mildred Pierce (1941). Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), was said to have inspired Albert Camus' The Stranger, but offended sensibilities in the U.S. and was even tried for obscenity in Boston. The novel was eventually made into a movie in 1946, starring Lana Turner and again in 1981, with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. In all, Cain authored eighteen books. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Reproduction Number LC-USZ62-86201
Series
Works by James M. Cain
The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and Selected Stories (2003) 334 copies
The Five Great Novels of James M. Cain [The Postman Always Rings Twice / The Butterfly / Serenade / Mildred Pierce /… (1985) 80 copies
Three Novels By James m Cain: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Serenade, and Mildred Pierce (1943) 6 copies
Best-in-Books: Grand Hotel / Voice of Bugle Ann / Life with Father / Mutiny on the Bounty / Postman Always Rings Twice (1962) — Contributor — 3 copies
The Postman Always Rings Twice 2 copies
Tredje gången gillt 2 copies
Cigarette Girl [Short story] 2 copies
Pastorale 2 copies
Sommerfuglen ; Underslaget 1 copy
PAGOS A DOBRAR (PE2L45) 1 copy
Manhunt Magazine: March 1954 1 copy
Carrera en Do mayor 1 copy
The Crystal Battery 1 copy
Cain James 1 copy
Cuentos de la Serie Negra 1 copy
La moglie comprata: romanzo 1 copy
Murder & Mayhem: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and Selected Stories; The Big Sleep;… (2010) 1 copy
Der Defraudant 1 copy
When Tomorrow Comes,film 1 copy
Paradise 1 copy
Brush Fire [Short story] 1 copy
No title 1 copy
Sinful Woman 1 copy
Black Lizard 1 copy
The Robbery 1 copy
Associated Works
Antologia del Relato Policial (Aula de Literatura) (1991) — Contributor; Author, some editions — 41 copies
The Graphic Canon of Crime & Mystery, Vol. 1: From Sherlock Holmes to A Clockwork Orange to Jo Nesbø (2017) — Contributor — 34 copies
To the Queen's Taste: The First Supplement to 101 Years' Entertainment; Consisting of the Best Stories Published in the… (1946) — Contributor — 24 copies
Exciting Short Stories ; The Unstoppable Man ; The Most Dangerous Game ; The Homesick Buick ; Leiningen Versus the Ants… (1960) — Contributor — 4 copies
Classic Crime Stories: 13 Tales from Edgar Allan Poe to Lawrence Block (2007) — Contributor — 2 copies
Appendici in giallo 1 (racconti) — Contributor — 1 copy
Gypsy Wildcat [1944 film] 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Cain, James Mallahan
- Other names
- Cain, James M.
- Birthdate
- 1892-07-01
- Date of death
- 1977-10-27
- Burial location
- Donated to Medical Science
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Annapolis, Maryland, USA
- Place of death
- University Park, Maryland, USA
- Cause of death
- heart attack
- Places of residence
- Annapolis, Maryland, USA (birth)
University Park, Maryland, USA (death) - Education
- Washington College (AB|1910|MA)
- Occupations
- novelist
reporter
teacher (journalism) - Organizations
- St. John's College (Annapolis)
United States Army (WWI) - Awards and honors
- MWA Grand Master (1970)
Members
Reviews
Ugh. I thought I’ve give hardboiled/noir a try again, but nope, I still don’t like it. Too grim for my tastes.
I pick this up on a whim at the bookstore because it was only a dollar and change. I didn’t know anything about the book before reading it but I had heard the title before. I was shocked at the beginning because of how It just jumped right into things. But the storyline itself was very entertaining and it was a quick read. Although the ending was somewhat predictable I really enjoyed the overall story and characters and I would really like to read more from this author.
Lists
1930s (2)
A Novel Cure (2)
Folio Society (1)
Read These Too (1)
Read This Next (1)
Page Turners (1)
First Novels (1)
Short and Sweet (2)
Allie's Wishlist (2)
Read (3)
1940s (1)
My TBR (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 98
- Also by
- 45
- Members
- 9,981
- Popularity
- #2,384
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 314
- ISBNs
- 411
- Languages
- 19
- Favorited
- 25
James Cain is a master of the crime noir novel. Not a word is wasted as he suspensfully sets the scene -- smoky, dark bar; love triangle; a voluptuous young cocktail waitress who already has one dead husband and needs to find a way to get a lot of money -- quickly. The story is told in the first person from her point of view, which works so well -- as a reader can we trust her?
This was Cain's last book and he died before it was finished. Editors painstakingly went through his notes and drafts to come up with a final version. While many say it's not his finest work, this reader was pretty darn pleased.… (more)