Today’s Post by Joe Farace
I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.—Jimmy Dean
As I’ve mentioned in a previous book club post, at least 21 times, I love to read. For those of you keeping score, I’ve started a new journal which has a list of books I’m reading for 2023. Right now that number is up to seven. I don’t know how many books I’ll eventually read this year and to tell the truth, I don’t care. I’m enjoying each and every one of them.
In addition to fiction and non fiction there are other kinds of books I like to read— books that inspire me. Regular blog readers know I’m a fan (and shooter) of glamour photography. And like a lot of photographers, I collect old cameras. I’m not a serious collector but was inspired by images made by the late Peter Gowland who often used cameras as props. The late Mr. Gowland was a pioneer in both the technical and aesthetics of photography and was kind and encouraging to my own efforts in this genre late in his life. My book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is dedicated to Alice and Peter Gowland. I also collect books by them and they were prolific writers. I don’t have all of their books but am always on the lookout on eBay and used book stores to find nice, readable copies of his books that I don’t already own. While some of these books, like Gowland’s Guide To Glamour Photography (1972,) may seem “old,” they, like books written by William Mortensen (a story for another time) in the 1940’s, still inspire me.
Books I’m Reading
After reading, and loving the book of The Thin Man, I’m now reading some other books written by Dashiell Hammett. His full name was Samuel Dashiell Hammett and his mother’s name was Anne Bond Dashiell, which in French was De Chiel. He was born near Great Mills, Maryland on the Hopewell and Aim farm in Saint Mary’s County. Growing up in Maryland my tenuous connection with Mr. Hammett was having an acquaintance who was related to the Dashiell side of his family.
Next, I wanted to read The Maltese Falcon and picked up a book that contained both that book, The Thin Man and Red Harvest (more later.) If you want to immerse yourself in Dashiell Hammett, this collection, while not cheap, is a great place to start. It even has a built-in ribbon-style book mark. The Maltese Falcon (1930) is a delightful read, not humorous like The This Man but full of clever dialogue with a twisty plot. The book introduced the world to Sam Spade, the quintessential hard-boiled private eye. Hammett only wrote five books but the second and third Thin Man films were based on two unpublished novellas he wrote for Warner Brothers to serve as the basis for the films “After the Thin Man” and “Another Thin Man. The book is called Return of the Thin Man with new and used copies available on Amazon at affordable prices.
In a story that may be apocryphal, first-time director John Houston handed a copy of The Maltese Falcon to his secretary and asked her to “type this up in screenplay” format. While readers familiar with the film will notice many similarities to the book, especially the dialogue, Houston’s Oscar-nominated screenplay streamlines and simplifies the plot while increasing the book’s pace.
Trivia: Houston’s Falcon was the third film based on the book. The first was released in 1931 starring Ricardo Cortez but because of the Production Code, was unscreenable for re-release later and consequently was remade as a comedy in 1936. Because of the popularity of Houston’s film many people don’t remember these earlier efforts but I would love to be able watch them some day, especially since Bette Davis was in the 1936 version. For physical media collectors, like me— catch Joe’s Film Club on YouTube—The Maltese Falcon (1941) is expected to be released in 4K format in April. As I write this, it’s not 100% verified but I’m guessing that based on the success of the Casablanca 4K disc, I expect/hope this to be true and if so, I’ll be the first in line. If that film’s a success maybe we can hope for The Big Sleep in 4K!
I followed up The Maltese Falcon with Red Harvest and if anyone wishing to see the versatility of Dashiell Hammett, this book shows it. The book is, essentially, a story about corruption in a mining town wrapped around labor difficulties involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union, members of which are commonly termed “Wobblies.” It’s been a fascinating read so far…
Coming Up…
Regular readers of my photography posts also know that I have a passion for streetcars and have first-hand experience riding them and enjoying the trips when I was a kid, all the way through high school. Riding Denver’s Rails:: A Mile-High Streetcar History by Kevin Pharris was a gift from my wife and is a slim volume containing well reproduced historical photographs along with a story that begins In 1872, when Denver embraced a new way to get around the city and eventually boasted one of the largest streetcar systems in the country. I love reading about history and I love streetcars, so I’m really looking forward to reading this book. Look for a review or update soon.
If you would like to send me any books to review or any other stuff that could be used for these posts and my YouTube videos you can mail it to: Joe Farace, PO BOX 2081, PARKER, CO 80134.