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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: August 2015
Tour: For September and October
Okay, before the promised El Niño rains start crashing down this winter — if they start crashing down — I’m giving the gumshoe-wearing public a chance to walk the Hammett walk to their hearts’ content. In September anyone with $20 in … Continue reading
Rediscovered: The Fugitive Library of Young Scott, and Haefele’s Proto-Panel
You know those stories you read, about how some guy has gone off to war in Afghanistan or someplace and comes back to find out that his soon-to-be-ex-wife has sold his dog? Or all the stories about soldiers who put … Continue reading
Frisco Beat: Noir at SFO
Man. Look at this ultra-Frisco display of noir: Left to right, the latest and greatest edition of the Hammett Tour book (trade paperback state), Nathaniel Rich’s survey of noir films shot or set in the Cool Grey City, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Frisco, Lit, News
Tagged Akashic, Devon Morf, Hammett Tour Book, Nathaniel Rich, Peter Maravelis, SFO
Hammett: And Walker Martin
Even rambling on at some length, I couldn’t cover every detail or drop every name in my PulpFest report — though I consider some of that action taken care of by links to other posts, which namecheck people I skip … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, News
Tagged August Derleth, Fritz Leiber, John D. Haefele, Nick Certo, PulpFest, Smart Set, Tom Krabacher, Walker Martin
Frisco Beat: “Cairo’s Hotel” Grabs a New Alias
In the latest and greatest edition of The Dashiell Hammett Tour book, I advance a new theory about why the various fictitious hotels in The Maltese Falcon picked up their names — one of several fresh litcrit wrinkles I toss in, … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Frisco, News
Tagged Geary Street, Hammett Tour Book, Hotel Bellevue, Hotel Belvedere, Hotel Marker, Hotel Monaco
Rediscovered: John D. Haefele’s “Why HPL?”
On the occasion of HPL: Birthday 125, how about another origin story from yet another guy who traveled to PulpFest to honor H. P. Lovecraft? In this instance we showcase how John D. Haefele first encountered the Old Gent from Providence, … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, REH
Tagged Arkham House, August Derleth, Cthulhu Mythos, Frank Belknap Long, John D. Haefele, lit, Lovecraft, Olaf Stapledon, PulpFest, Tolkien
Rediscovered: “My Pal HPL”
Today is birthday 125 for good old H. P. Lovecraft — and that landmark anniversary was the excuse to jet off to PulpFest and participate in the panels on the Cthulhu Mythos (HPL’s major claim to fame) and Weird Tales … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News, REH
Tagged Ben P. Indick, Clark Ashton Smith, Cthulhu Mythos, Donald Wandrei, E. Hoffmann Price, Frank Belknap Long, George F. Haas, H. Warner Munn, Lovecraft, PulpFest, Weird Tales
Rediscovered: More First World War
When I began fielding Michael Stoler’s query about the use of the expression “the First World War” in Hammett’s “This King Business” from 1928 last month, I had the impression that I had encountered the use of “First” — not just … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Talking Cthulhu Mythos and Weird Tales at PulpFest
Image at top: a detail from the PulpFest Facebook page of the panel for discussing the Cthulhu Mythos; left to right Nathan Madison, John D. Haefele, Don Herron, Rick Lai, and moderator Tom Krabacher. Image at bottom: detail, Haefele and … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Cthulhu Mythos, Farnsworth Wright, John D. Haefele, Mike Chomko, Nathan Madison, PulpFest, Rick Lai, The Great War, Tom Krabacher, Weird Tales
