[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 51 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 51

   Recognizing the importance of the writings of Dashiell Hammett to 
 American literature and culture on the 75th anniversary of the first 
                 publication of ``The Maltese Falcon''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2005

Mrs. Feinstein submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the importance of the writings of Dashiell Hammett to 
 American literature and culture on the 75th anniversary of the first 
                 publication of ``The Maltese Falcon''.

Whereas Samuel Dashiell Hammett was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, on May 
        27, 1894, and died in New York City, on January 10, 1961;
Whereas Dashiell Hammett joined Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in 1915 at 
        the age of 21 and worked for the agency in Maryland, Washington, Idaho, 
        Utah, Montana, and California;
Whereas Dashiell Hammett served the United States in the Army Ambulance Motor 
        Corps during World War I and, after enlisting in 1942 at the age of 48, 
        in the Aleutian Islands during World War II, and is buried at Arlington 
        National Cemetery;
Whereas Dashiell Hammett wrote ``The Maltese Falcon'' (published on Febraury 14, 
        1930), 1 of the most widely-read crime novels in history, which 
        introduced the literary figure Sam Spade, 1 of the most famous 
        detectives in American literature, and set San Francisco as the center 
        of hard-boiled crime fiction;
Whereas ``The Maltese Falcon'' has appeared in hundreds of editions in 50 
        countries and over 30 languages and was adapted into 3 movies, including 
        a 1941 Warner Brothers film directed by John Huston and starring 
        Humphrey Bogart, which has been recognized by the American Film 
        Institute as 1 of the greatest movies of all time; and
Whereas ``The Maltese Falcon'' turned mystery and crime novels into a widely-
        recognized genre of literature and is a classic novel of American 
        literature: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) salutes Dashiell Hammett as 1 of the most notable 
        authors of hard-boiled crime fiction;
            (2) notes the 75th anniversary of the publication of 
        Dashiell Hammet's ``The Maltese Falcon''; and
            (3) recognizes ``The Maltese Falcon'' as a great American 
        crime novel.
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