San Francisco, Calif.
Dedicated: 1997
John’s Grill in San Francisco, California was designated a Literary Landmark on June 27th, 1997 for its cameo appearance in Dashiell Hammett’s detective novel The Maltese Falcon. Hammett was also a frequenter of the bar and restaurant and it is rumored that he wrote some of The Maltese Falcon while sitting at a table there.
Hammett was born in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on May 27th, 1894. He attended college for a short time in Baltimore, however, he quit to go to work and support his family. He also served in World War I where he contracted tuberculosis, an event that haunted his health for the rest of his life.
Hammett was the founder of the “hard-boiled” school of detective fiction. San Francisco became a main character in Hammett’s novels. His stories painted a gritty picture of American society. He died on January 10th, 1961.
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