Originally published in serial form in 1929, Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon is probably the best known of his works, due to the success of the 1941 film adaptation staring Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart.

After discussing film noir and detective novels with my husband one night at dinner, I decided to delve into his collection of classic detective fiction. I started with The Maltese Falcon for no particular reason. I was struck by how intensely visual the book was – the descriptions of people and places are multi-layered and evocative. However, I am an impatient reader, so toward the end of the book I found myself skipping over a great deal of the description, a not unusual practice for me.

With a book like this, it is impossible to avoid comparisons to the movie. The movie is faithful to the book in most respects, down to the details of dialogue and appearance – with one notable exception. In the book, Sam Spade is described physically as a “blonde Satan.” His light complexion and hair are repeatedly emphasized throughout the book. I just couldn’t buy this. When I think Sam Spade, I think Bogart. I found this discontinuity between my memories of the movie and my perception of the book jarring. Spade is remarkably well-drawn in the book. He was far less plastic than Bogart’s Spade. I assume this is because the reader has the benefit of knowing more of Spade’s thoughts and feelings. The other characters didn’t fare so well. Brigid is even more helpless and silly in the book than she is in the movie, and the other characters are mere place-holders for plot points. The homophobia with which Hammett treats Joe Cairo is even more blatant in the book than in the movie [an aside: if I ever felt like earning another Ph.D., I think I'd like to study the way homosexuality is portrayed in these noir classics and then examine the way these images are turned upside down in modern lesbian detective stories (my most favorite mystery sub-genre). But that is highly unlikely to happen].

I did enjoy the book -- it was a fun (if familiar and sometimes troubling) ride.

Some related links:

A synopsis of the 1941 movie. Contains quotes, some background information, and one tiny spoiler for book-movie comparisons.

Checklist of Dashiell Hammett Fiction with useful cross-references, since many stories were published under different names.

The Continental Detective Agency is a Hammett fan site with a fascinating biography of Hammett.

Maltese Falcon FAQ, version 3 includes character overviews, some history of the Falcon, possible sources, and so on, and so on, and so on. Great stuff.