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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: February 2021
Two-Gun Bob: Gobbett on the Block
No doubt big ticket, because Ed Gobbett was a big time collector, so open your wallets if you want in on the sale of his pulps and other treasures. But who knows, you might get lucky — and if you’re … Continue reading
Posted in News, REH
Tagged "Conan vs. Conantics", Adventure House, Book Collecting, Ed Gobbett, L. Sprague de Camp, Two-Gun Raconteur
Rediscovered: At Last, “Roadhouse Benny” Enigma Explained
Remember back in 2012 when a bunch of us heard the name Jack Benny and “wireless hero” during a screening of Roadhouse Nights from 1930? Only problem was that Jackson wasn’t supposed to be on the radio before 1932. In … Continue reading
Posted in Film, News
Tagged Dennis Devine, Don M. Yowp, Hope Sears, Jack Benny, Jack Binns, John Wayne, Zach Eastman
Rediscovered: Don Webb, in for the Memorial Moment
Just noticed that today Don Webb tossed up a review of A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos on Amazon. He explains why he suddenly covers John D. Haefele’s previous book at the end: August Derleth was an unimaginative but professional … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Tombstoning Saunders
I notice a post up today by Brian Murphy, announcing that fans raised funds for a grave marker and memorial for the unmarked resting place of Sword-and-Sorcery writer Charles R. Saunders. Since I stumbled into some oblique coverage of Saunders … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Brian Murphy, Charles Saunders, Karl Edward Wagner, literary graves, Sword-and-Sorcery
Rediscovered: The Starrett Bookplates
Brian Leno was poking around the web, as he often does, and ran across a blog post with a history and gallery of the bookplates of the great Chicago bookman Vincent Starrett. I’ve got one or two books from his … Continue reading
Hammett: Blue Bloods Blurb
Both Evan Lewis and Brian Wallace alerted me to a major Hammett/Falcon cameo in the cop show Blue Bloods. “Friday night, February 12, 2021,” Brian reported. “Season 11, Episode 7 — ‘In Too Deep.’Alison Gable (Erin Neufer) is introduced to … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News
Tagged Blue Bloods, Brian Wallace, Evan Lewis, falcon statues, Get Shorty, Jeopardy!, Sam Spade
Hammett: Pick-Up on Post Street
Sitting in his rooms in 891 Post Street in San Francisco one of the star writers for the wood-pulp Black Mask cooked up a yarn that would make him the name to conjure with for closing in on a century … Continue reading
Hammett: The Jeopardy! Roundup
For fun I’ve been keeping track of the times Hammett or something to do with Hammett (i.e. Sam Spade or Lillian Hellman) popped up on the game show Jeopardy! Kind of a marker of the cultural zeitgeist. Now that the … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Not for Resale — and Definitely for Sale
And John D. Haefele, Kid Protégé, rides again! If you’re of the Lovecraftian ilk, his litcrit magnum opus awaits you on Amazon. Shown here are a couple of shots of the first proof version (the one without the photos) with … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Exploring the Archives
I’ve got a feeling that people will begin swarming into the blog archives in the next few weeks, and my hunch is they’ll be doing it to find out more about the activities of my Kid Protégé John D. Haefele … Continue reading