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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.”
Category Archives: News
Rediscovered: San Francisco — and California — Mysteries
Just got tipped off to a recent interview with librarian Randal Brandt on CrimeReads, if you’d care to drift over and check it out. Randal took up the search for mysteries set in San Francisco after I donated my collection … Continue reading
Hammett: Working the Electronic Morgue
Speaking of the epic sale of Otto Penzler’s mystery library, you may recall that I used Evan Lewis as my man on the street covering the events, since he was interested in hunting down the auction lists and putting up … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, News
Tagged Book Collecting, Evan Lewis, John D. Squires, Lillian Hellman, Otto Penzler, Terry Zobeck
Hammett: More Zobeck v. Otto
Terry Zobeck popped in a micro review related to the sale of Otto Penzler’s mystery library a few months ago, which sucked all the oxygen out of the room for awhile. The word, from Terry: My copy of Otto Penzler’s … Continue reading
Hammett: Unearthed — The Samuels’ Campaign
We haven’t seen a lot of Tenderloin Terry Zobeck recently, but you know he’s out there, ever sleuthing the Mean Streets. He’s been working on finalizing his biblio of Lawrence Block, but when he gets scent of a Hammett quest, … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Frisco, News
Tagged Albert S. Samuels, Lawrence Block, Library of Congress, Marc LaViolette, Richard Layman, Terry Zobeck, Western Advertising
Hammett: Jeopardy! Won’t Let Go
Yeah, Jeopardy! has a thing going for Hammett clews — and who can blame them? He’s famous, for closing in on a century now, and you can creep in via the books, the movies, the life. Yesterday — S36E55 — … Continue reading
Rediscovered: The Rogue’s Gallery Expands; or, A Mystery Solved
You know how bizarre squiggly autographs drive Kevin Cook into a berserk and bemused frenzy? And do you remember how John D. Haefele presented a John Hancock from horror writer Karl Edward Wagner for that day when we featured a … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Autographs, Eric Carlson, John D. Haefele, Karl Edward Wagner, Kent Harrington, Kevin Cook, Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell
Rediscovered: The Modern Arkham Ephemera Checklist
Looks as if it is available to order now: For anyone interested in the history of Arkham House the November/December issue of Firsts: The Book Collector’s Magazine is not to be missed, since it presents the item-by-item checklist to accompany … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Collecting Haefele
One of my little hobbies — fairly harmless — involves keeping an eye out to see how my kid protégé John D. Haefele is doing in the collectability department. A couple of months ago I mentioned, in an aside, how … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged August Derleth, Book Collecting, Henrik Harksen, John D. Haefele, L. W. Currey, The Cimmerian Library, Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire
Rediscovered: CrimeReads Discovers Willeford
Nathan Ward just alerted me to the news that today CrimeReads put up an article on the late, great Charles Willeford. A little something for Willeford’s centennial year. Not a bad introduction for people who don’t know Willeford (which is to … Continue reading
Frisco Beat: Where are the Fanzines of Yesteryear?; or, a Little Riff on David Mason’s Devil’s Food
Aha! I warned uber fanzine guy Bill Breiding that if he messed up any bits in an article on Sword-and-Sorcery writer David Mason (Kavin’s World, etc.) I sent in for his new zine Portable Storage Two that I’d correct on the trusty … Continue reading
