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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: November 2018
Rediscovered: McNaughton v. Vance
What was I thinking? In the post a month plus back where I kind of talked myself into rereading Brian McNaughton’s The Throne of Bones for Halloween, I realized that somehow I managed to put forth this opinion: McNaughton bears … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Et Tu, Erle? — or, Another Lost Atlantis
When Tom Krabacher came to town the other day to hang on a feedbag filled with gooey duck, he brought along a copy of a book he helped assemble, Woodland, in Acadia Publishing’s sprawling Images of America series. I was … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Book Collecting, Erle Stanley Gardner, literary homes, Mike Humbert, Paradise California fire, Robert Colby, Tom Krabacher, Woodland California
Rediscovered: Carnera v. Young
Woke up with an email from Brian Leno lurking in the inbox, and here it is, every word, plus the attachment. Brian obviously is going full-tilt after his hobby of autograph collecting (Terry Moore and Ben Johnson starred in the … Continue reading
Posted in Boxing, Film, REH
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Duke Tramel, Kid Dula, Max Baer, Mighty Joe Young, Paul Gallico, Primo Carnera, Terry Moore, Wild Wilson Dunn
Rediscovered: Famous Someday
Although available only for a month and change, Famous Someday now has been officially rediscovered by Evan Lewis for his entry in today’s Forgotten Book Friday roundup. FBF is a deal where 20ish bloggers pick a book, some really forgotten and some … Continue reading
Posted in REH
Tagged Evan Lewis, Famous Someday, Forgotten Book Friday, The Cimmerian, The Cimmerian Press
Tour: The Worst-Air-Quality-on-the-Planet Walk
I would have thought the Age of Legendary Tours was over, but how was I to know that one day Frisco would be blanketed in smoke from Mike Humbert’s smoldering house in Paradise? Per all the news sources, the air quality … Continue reading
Two-Gun Bob: A Quick Meditation on Arriving Too Late on the Scene
Another factor in hitting the Second Sunday fan gathering was that Tom Krabacher — an academic of many years standing, but also a longtime fan (he’s planning on doing a Dum Dum next year for Edgar Rice Burroughs enthusiasts) — … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, REH
Tagged Brian Leno, Doom Patrol, Geary Street, Glenn Lord, John D. Haefele, Kim Thanh, Lovecraft, Morgan Holmes, S.T. Joshi, Second Sunday, Tom Krabacher
Sinister Cinema: Top 25
Yesterday I hit another meeting of the Second Sunday Fanzine Fans of Yesteryear, where Bruce Townley happened to mention his ten favorite movies. To paraphrase myself, I said something like, Man, that’s not enough, and told them about the time … Continue reading
Hammett: Trouble in Paradise
Shot above from a few years ago, Mike Humbert, Don, Bill Arney standing in front of the folded-up Murphy bed in Sam Spade’s apartment, 891 Post Street. Mike maintains a Hammett website and Bill is famed as the one-time occupant … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, News
Tagged 891 Post, Bill Arney, Mike Humbert, Murphy bed, Paradise California fire
Tour: Photobombed!
In the pic above shot by Sue Montgomery I stand in front of the Flood Building, 870 Market, on October 28, waiting to see who’ll show up for the walk. And I’m not alone. Technically a true photobomb or by accident? You … Continue reading
