Author Archives: Don

Tour: By the Book

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Don

Got a note from Joe Salerno, checking to make sure I’m not actually leading the Dashiell Hammett Tour any more. Sorry, no. My big excuse — and it’s the truth — I aged out. I realized at any point something … Continue reading →

Posted in Tour | Tagged , , , , , |

Rediscovered: Ex Libris Virgil Finlay

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Don

Autograph Hound Saturday. You know the drill. Another week has passed, and Autograph Hound Brian Leno has added more signatures to his collection. A thousand John Hancocks in the naked city. . . . This is the story of one. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Lit | Tagged , , , , , |

Hammett: Birthday 132

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Don

Today, Hammett’s 132nd birthday. And the guy keeps hanging in. On May 1st he cracked Jeopardy! again. S4E170. In the Double Jeopardy round. Category: Life on TCM. $800 clew: In “The Thin Man” Myrna Loy catches up to her husband … Continue reading →

Posted in Dash, Film | Tagged , , , , |

Posse McMillan: October 2025

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Don

Lou Boxer of NoirCon popped in this image taken at the last NoirCon, October 2025. A more recent look at the late Dennis McMillan. Pic shows Gary Phillips and DMac — you’ll remember Gary as a contributor to the shadow … Continue reading →

Posted in DMac | Tagged , , |

Mort: Dennis Ray McMillan

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Don

People asked, so I dug a little deeper into the recent death of publisher Dennis McMillan. I first heard he died on May 1, but update that to May 5 — as announced in this message on the Dennis Facebook … Continue reading →

Posted in DMac, News | Tagged , , |

Hollywood Beat: That Photogenic Mug, Jim Tully

Posted on May 16, 2026 by Don

Autograph Hound Saturday yet again. . . . Back in 2012 I made a run down to Hollywood to hit Musso & Frank and hobnob with my fellow wizards. Leo Grin had mentioned that he noticed a nice signed photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Lit | Tagged , , , , |

Mort: DMac & DSF

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Don

Man. A Couple of Really Bad Days at Black Rock. A few days after the fact I heard from fellow Posse McMillan member Kent Harrington that our pal, publisher Dennis McMillan, had passed away on Friday May 1st. Word as … Continue reading →

Posted in DMac, Frisco, Lit, News | Tagged , , , , |

Rediscovered: Belly Band Tuesday

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Don

We’ve done belly bands before — notably, one on Michael Connelly’s first crime novel. But now I sense that our maniacal book collecting pal Brian Leno might have picked up a jones for those bands. Just in case, I better … Continue reading →

Posted in Lit | Tagged , , , |

Rediscovered: Gene and Joe

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Don

Autograph Hound Saturday. Courtesy Brian Leno, today let’s spotlight a favorite writer here on These Mean Streets. “Some good news,” Brian reports, “I picked up a signed Eugene Cunningham’s Texas Sheriff for 20 bucks. No dj but it supposedly has … Continue reading →

Posted in Dash, Frisco, Lit, REH | Tagged , , , |

Rediscovered: Shiel and Floyd and an Absurd Adventure of Dennis McMillan

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Don

Just noticed a quick email from 2022 where Brian Leno told me: Came across a letter where Lawrence of Arabia — in his T. E. Shaw alias — tells a bookseller he will take a copy of Shiel’s The Purple … Continue reading →

Posted in DMac, Lit, News | Tagged , , , , , , , |