Spillane, Mickey

Mickey Spillane is the legendary crime writer credited with igniting the explosion of paperback publishing after World War II through the unprecedented success of his Mike Hammer novels. Spillane s novels sold tens of millions of copies. I, The Jury went through more than 60 paperback printings in 1947 alone. In 1995, he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. Before his death at the age of 88 in 2006, Spillane chose long-time friend Max Allan Collins to complete his unfinished works and act as his literary executor.