Valentine's Day will mark the 75th anniversary of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon—ironic as the book is very cynical about women. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) has offered a resolution marking the book's publication on Feb. 14, 2005..

“The Maltese Falcon is a classic novel of American  literature and is one of the most significant crime novels in history," Feinstein said in a news release. "It turned mystery and crime novels into a widely recognized genre of literature and culture and had a profound influence on my 
hometown of San Francisco – the home of hard-boiled detective stories. Dashiell Hammett’s work exemplifies a unique and original American literary style, and I am pleased to be a part of the effort to honor his work.” 

Later made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart as the detective Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon begins with a series of murders as detectives and criminals search for a centuries-old jewel-encrusted statuette of a falcon.     —Donald H. Harrison