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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.”
Author Archives: Don
Rediscovered: Zobeck Zips Up the Watts Auction
Terry Zobeck kept an eye on the huge auction of books from the library of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. He even tossed in a bid himself, getting in on the action. With prices paid and the gavel now quiet, … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit, News
Tagged "The Hunter", Black Mask, Book Collecting, Charlie Watts, Dime Detective, Hammond Innes, Raymond Chandler, Rolling Stones, Terry Zobeck
Rediscovered: The Weather Channel c. 1888
Mostly in connection with the Texas writer Robert E. Howard, I’ve been in and out of the Lone Star State several times and got to deeply savor some of the storms. Tornadoes even hit a couple of towns over from … Continue reading
Rediscovered: “Wild Bill, I Presume?”
In building up his history of the Old West in his new book, Nathan Ward naturally brings in Wild Bill Hickok. Couldn’t leave him out, in my opinion. It’s like the IMDb Top Four Known Fors. Right now I think … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged Ben Franklin, Blackbeard the Pirate, Henry Morton Stanley, Nathan Ward, Son of the Old West, Wild Bill Hickok
Rediscovered: Cowboy America
“Wild cattle that refused to move with the herd and kept returning to the brush the cowboys might make docile by sewing their eyelids shut; after about two weeks, when the thread had decayed enough for the eyes to reopen, … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Biography Month Redux
Today is the official publication date for Nathan Ward’s newest bio, Son of the Old West — The Odyssey of Charlie Siringo: Cowboy, Detective, Writer of the Wild Frontier. Something to kick off another Biography Month here on These Mean … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Lit, News
Tagged Captain James Cook, Charlie Siringo, Danny Trejo, Eugene Manlove Rhodes, Franz Kafka, Jim Tully, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Dawidziak, Nathan Ward, Paul J. Bauer, Son of the Old West, Steve Eng
Hammett: Have Horse, Will Gallop
Nathan Ward just popped in the news that a racehorse named Maltese Falcon just moved up from maiden to graded stakes winner status — and in La Jolla, Raymond Chandler’s old stomping grounds. “There are Hammett quotes to apply,” Nathan … Continue reading
Frisco Beat: Nathan Ward Goes to Sea
You’ll remember Nathan Ward and his Hammett bio The Lost Detective. That one really gets going when Hammett rolls into San Francisco and sits down at his typewriter. Over on CrimeReads Nathan has just kicked a story off from San … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: Contacts Made
If you were worried about the guy who worked on Wim Wenders’ Hammett getting in contact with the guy doing a documentary on that film, you can relax. They’ve been put in touch, and have spent an initial two hours … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News
Tagged "The Diamond Wager", EQMM, Frederic Dannay, Joe Goodrich, Joe Gores, Wim Wenders
