The Maltese Falcon (novel) before being published in book form in 1930 by Alfred A. Knopf. The novel has been filmed four times, twice under its original title: There have been two audiobooks of the novel: There has been one stage adaptation: The Maltese Falcon (novel) The Maltese Falcon is a 1930 detective novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett, originally serialized in the magazine "Black Mask" beginning with the September 1929 issue. The story is told entirely in external third-person narrative; there is no description whatever of any character's internal thoughts or feelings, only what they say and do, and how they look. The
The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) well and give her whatever she wants. When the matron asks who will pay for the special treatment, Spade tells her to send the bill to the D.A.'s office: "I'll OK it." "The Maltese Falcon" was not the first Hammett story to be adapted into a motion picture. Both "Red Harvest" (filmed in 1930 as "Roadhouse Nights") and "City Streets" (1931), based on a short story and starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney, preceded it. Working titles for the film were "All Women", "A Woman of the World" and "Dangerous Female". Some scenes in the film were shot on location