5" x 8", 217 page trade paperback titled THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett/ Vintage Crime - Black Lizard Edition, ISBN # 978-0-679-72264-9, First Vintage Crime/ Black Lizard Edition, August 1992, Later printing/ This novel is set in 1920's San Francisco and creates the character of Sam Spade, a name now synonymous with crime detective fiction. And Modern Library ranks The Maltese Falcon in it's 100 best novels of the 20th century. One of the remarkable things about the novel is that it's not dated at all. The setting could be 1980 as well as 1929. The cast is small and well defined, and the plot is straight-forward, not complicated. And with Hammett's ability to add exquisite detail, the end result is a masterpiece in the genre The book is complete and in VERY GOOD or better condition with some overall wear.