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About DonHerron.com
In 1977 Don Herron began leading The Dashiell Hammett Tour, now the longest-running literary tour in the nation. On this site you’ll find information on current walks — dates, where to meet, arranging tours by appointment — plus a hard-boiled blog with news, reviews of books and film, and a dash of noir.
The latest and greatest edition to self-guide you up and down the mean streets.
Willeford: The Book
Includes the first “Mr. Hunt” story, “Knives in the Dark.”
Monthly Archives: September 2012
Two-Gun Bob: First, You Crack Argosy
When the article “Conan the Argonaut” appeared in The Cimmerian in 2008, one of the inset quotes, selected to illustrate the mindset that essay argues against, came from Lin Carter in his 1973 book on fantasy literature, Imaginary Worlds, where he … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, REH
Tagged "Conan the Argonaut", "Conan vs. Conantics", A. Merritt, Brian Leno, Conan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Allan England, Harold Lamb, Harry Morris, Imaginary Worlds, John Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, Nyctalops, Otis Adelbert Kline, PulpFest, Pulps, Rafael Sabatini, Ray Cummings, Talbot Mundy, Tarzan, The Cimmerian, Weird Tales
Frisco Beat: The Mystery of the Missing Logo
Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to mention something I noticed toward the beginning of the September tours: They’ve had the Spade and Archer logo removed from the window of the Hotel Union Square, but so far haven’t had it replaced with … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Frisco, News, Tour
Tagged Burritt alley, Golden Eagle, Hotel Union Square, Jo Hammett, Maltese Eagle
Tour: Blurbed by KQED
With only one more walk this month — Sunday September 30 — that’s open to anyone who shows up clutching a tenspot, the Hammett Tour gets a blurb in a roundup of local tours from KQED. If you miss that … Continue reading
Tour: Living Near Hammett
One of the walkers who showed up on September 16 and got in on The Maltese Eagle Caper was a guy named Michael — e-yclept Mjsoltys — who e’ed in advance to check about the date and mentioned: “I lived … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, Frisco, News, Tour
Tagged "Tulip", Bacall, Bogie, Ernest Hemingway, Hardscrabble Farm, Key Largo, Key Largo Angler's Club, Key lime pie, Key West, Lillian Hellman, literary homes, Lovecraft, Maltese Eagle, Stephen Bogart, Tennessee Williams
Tour: Two More to Go
Fall is almost on us, with winter rain hard on its heels. Yeah, I’ve got some tours by appointment coming up, even a couple slated for December (a month when the snapbrim and trenchcoat can come in real handy) — but … Continue reading
Hammett: “Mike or Alec or Rufus”
We just had a post from occasional Guest Blogger Brian Leno — how about one from the much more frequently appearing Terry Zobeck? As you might expect, Terry spent some of his spare time during PulpFest prowling the stacks of … Continue reading
Hammett: vs. Thurber
Inspired by the trip to PulpFest and the side visit to the James Thurber house in Columbus, our occasional Guest Blogger Brian Leno pops in some info he uncovered which ought to amuse any and all surfers and lurkers in Up … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit
Tagged Brian Leno, Burton Bernstein, James Thurber, Lillian Hellman, PulpFest, Pulps
Rediscovered: The Thurber House and Grave
When he was checking out the web to see what attractions we might want to see on the side during PulpFest, Brian Leno spotted a James Thurber house open as a museum in Columbus, Ohio. As I’ve said before, I’ll track down any literary residence for … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Stabbed in the Forehead! (and Other Pulp Thrills)
How about a postmortem on PulpFest before something else ripping Up and Down These Mean Streets distracts me? It’s always something — latest is juggling a date and time to do a walk for a Private Eye convention in October. (Tours … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, Lit, News, REH
Tagged Alexandre Dumas, Anthony Tollin, Arkham House, Black Mask, Bob Clampett, Book Collecting, Brian Leno, Chester Himes, Conan, Count of Monte Cristo, Dillinger, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Erle Stanley Gardner, Esquire, Fantomas, Fat Charley Makley, German Village, Green Lawn Cemetery, James Thurber, Jim Tully, John Carter, Mike Chomko, Nick Certo, O. Henry, Ohio Caverns, Ohio State Pen, PulpFest, Pulps, Rick Lai, Rusty Burke, Serpent Mound, Smart Set, St Marys Ohio, Stark House Press, Terry Zobeck, The Shadow, The Spider, Walker Martin, Walter B. Gibson