Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon, which was published in Black Mask magazine from September 1929 to January 1930. The novel was later published in book form in 1930. He also appeared in four short stories by Dashiell Hammett, with his first short story appearance being in "A Man Called Spade" in The American Magazine in July 1932.