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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: January 2021
Two-Gun Bob: Year 115
Birthday 115 today for Robert E. Howard, the Texan who wrought his influences into the genre of headlong adventure known as Sword-and-Sorcery. A pulp writer in his lifetime, his works now tread the world stage under sandaled feet. Leading up … Continue reading
Hammett: Further Farewells
Following up on his track down of a newspaper reprint for “The Farewell Murder” the other day, Evan Lewis rounds up a few more! Surf over and give it a look. Obviously Hammett saw more action in newspapers than he … Continue reading
Posted in Dash
Tagged "The Farewell Murder", Evan Lewis, John D. Squires, newspaper action, Terry Zobeck
Frisco Beat: A Slice of Life 1979-90
Our man on the street, Nathan Ward — keeping his eye on the New York scene — sends along his latest find: “I liked this evocation of San Francisco from 79-90 by the novelist Rachel Kushner in the current New … Continue reading
Rediscovered: 100 Years Ago
Recently noted book and pulp collector Kevin Cook mentioned one of the features he does for his zine in the amateur press association devoted to pulps: I probably told you about it before, but every PEAPS mailing I do a … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit, REH
Tagged Adventure, Arthur O. Friel, Genghis Khan, Harold Lamb, Henry S. Whitehead, Kevin Cook, Khlit the Cossack, PEAPS, Rafael Sabatini
Rediscovered: Does Continuity Matter?
For those who enjoy chewing the fat about books and writers, in email the noted book and pulp collector Kevin Cook and I recently got off on another little thread that might interest some of you: Kevin: Of course the … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Excerpts of Nostalgic Book Talk
Kicking the can around in email with noted book and pulp collector Kevin Cook, we hit a thread of wishing we’d been alive back when, getting new stories by favorite writers hot off the press. It began as Kevin was … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit, REH
Tagged A. Merritt, Adventure, Alfred Clark, Anthony Wall, Argosy All-Story Weekly, Arthur Machen, Austin Hall, Black Mask, Bram Stoker, Charles B. Stilson, Cthulhu Mythos, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Elak, Eugene Shade Bisbee, Francis Stevens, Frank Aubrey, George Allan England, H. G. Wells, H. Rider Haggard, Harold Lamb, Homer Eon Flint, John Taine, Kevin Cook, Pearson's, Perley Poore Sheehan, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Stevenson, The Strand Magazine, Thongor, Weird Tales
Hammett: Another Farewell Murder
Evan Lewis keeps at his exploration of digital newspaper morgues, finding the Op yarn “The Farewell Murder” (1930) reprinted in December 1939 in the Detroit Free Press. How many Op reprints? How many times? How many papers? Maybe someday Evan … Continue reading
Posted in Dash
Tagged "Death and Company", "The Farewell Murder", Black Mask, Detroit Free Press, Evan Lewis, newspaper action
Rediscovered: Padgett Powell Book Posts Willeford
Aha. Another guy has just discovered the late great Charles Willeford and covers the waterfront on the direct-to-your-inbox service Book Post. If interested, hop to the link fast — I have no idea what the archiving is like. My book … Continue reading
Rediscovered: The Unclaimed Remains of Charles Saunders
Morgan “The Morgman” Holmes pops along a news article — startling enough it provokes my jaded sensibilities. Turns out the Sword-and-Sorcery — later Sword-and-Soul — author Charles Saunders died at some undetermined point in May of 2020, but when his … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Tenderloin Terry Hits the Top Ten
Not the New York Times or Publishers Weekly year-end round-ups, but for the specialized market it was written for, perhaps even better — Terry Zobeck made the Top Ten for fave books of 2020 by James Reasoner. The Larry Block … Continue reading