Financial History Issue 129 (Spring 2019) | Page 14

EDUCATORS’ PERSPECTIVE about totally unanticipated beams? Should they be allowed to cause major disruptions until they no longer seem to be a threat? Or can the patterns of life be changed in constructive ways that deal with such chal- lenges in a calm, rational manner? When beams began falling around Brigid O’Shaughnessy, she thought she could handle them by making a deal with the devil—that “blond satan” Sam Spade. In the end, however, the devil betrayed her as he always does. A Faustian bargain is never a viable option because it inevita- bly leads to disappointment. The risks are simply too great. Indeed, O’Shaughnessy’s quest for the Maltese Falcon ended in a prison cell because of her involvement with Spade. Thus, two additional questions must be asked of those who wish to avoid Maltese Falcon-type goals: 1. Are you willing to make a deal with the devil in order to reach your goal(s)? 2. What will you do when beams fall?  Brian Grinder is a professor at Eastern Washington University and a member of Financial History’s editorial board. Dr. Dan Cooper is the president of Active Learning Technologies. Notes 1. The Maltese Falcon is best known as the 1941 breakthrough film noir classic star- ring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. The movie is based on Dashiell Ham- mett’s novel of the same name, which was first published serially in the detective magazine The Black Mask from Septem- ber 1929 to January 1930. 2. Hammett uses the term “satan” to describe Spade two other times in the novel. 3. According to Hammett’s daughter, “As a boy [Hammett] had wanted to find the Ultimate Truth—how the world is oper- ated. And here it was. There is no system except blind chance. Beams falling.” THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOND & SHARE SOCIETY SCRIPOPHILY ENCOURAGING COLLECTING SINCE 1978 No.109 - APRIL 2019 Sources Desai, Mihir A. The Wisdom of Finance: Dis- covering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Har- court. 2017. Hammett, Dashiell. Complete Novels: Red Har- vest; The Dain Curse; The Maltese Falcon; The Glass Key; The Thin Man. New York: The Library of America, Penguin Books. 1999. Layman, Richard, ed. Discovering the Maltese Falcon and Sam Spade: The Evolution of Dashiell Hammett’s Masterpiece, Including John Huston’s Movie with Humphrey Bogart. San Francisco: Vince Emery Productions. 2005. ____. Shadow Man: The Life of Dashiell Ham- mett. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1981. Shulman, Robert. “Dashiell Hammett’s Social Vision.” The Centennial Review 29, 400–419. 1985. Ward, Nathan. The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett. Bloomsbury USA: New York. 2015. INTERNATIONAL BOND & SHARE SOCIETY PUTTING FINANCIAL HISTORY IN YOUR HANDS Join the International Bond & Share Society, supporting collectors of vintage bonds and shares from all countries for over forty years. For $32, £20 or €25 annually, receive: Sheep who loved chewing tobacco – page 14 ◆ Three issues a year of our full color 52 page journal Scripophily with news, in-depth articles, auction reports and more ◆ Membership Directory listing dealers, auction houses and fellow Surprise pops up with Star Productions stock – page 24 ➠ MOAF DISPLAYS ‘OUT OF THE VAULT’ EXHIBIT ➠ FLOOD AT WALL STREET collectors Newton- signed bond defies gravity at $25,000 ◆ Members-only part of the Society website, scripophily.org ◆ Members’ Newsletters with up-to-date information and event schedule For further information contact – page 49 18th National Show hosts Terry Cox Worldwide Auctions – page 12 – page 28 Shareholder Dies Outside the Gates of Candahar – page 26 Mills on Empire – page 20 12    FINANCIAL HISTORY  |  Spring 2019  | www.MoAF.org Robin Majlak Membership Secretary 824 Harbor Road Southport, CT 06890 Philip Atkinson Secretary 167 Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2LP, UK membership@scripophily.org secretary@scripophily.org Or visit our website www.scripophily.org