Welcome to a hard-boiled and not without noir blog with news and reviews, occasional outbursts of maniacal Autograph Hound activity, plus archival records from the forty-five year run of The Dashiell Hammett Tour. 
The Dashiell Hammett Tour
1977-2022
Arkham House Ephemera
The Classic Years 1937–1973
Death Lit
Essays and Reviews Selected from Fifty Years of Writing 1974–2024
Willeford
The Book
Category Archives: Willeford
Noir: On the Prowl
One intriguing pic Nathaniel Mills sent along from his trip to Malta, he noticed later, “unintentionally captured this Maltese blonde, there on the bench, checking me out as I walked by. “Did she think I was handsome or was she … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, Tour, Willeford
Tagged Gold Medal, Malta, Nathaniel Mills, Orrie Hitt, Robert McGinnis
Sinister Cinema: The Boss Digs Cockfighter
Michael Chong keeps an eye peeled for any online mention of Willeford, and reports in that “The Boss has good taste!” Yes, Cockfighter makes the short list of Springsteen’s fave movies — or, maybe the dude is just another one of us … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: Burnt Orange to “Close Venice”
Kent Harrington, who watches the media scene more closely than I do (which means he follows Variety) just popped me a link to an article which reports that the film of Charles Willeford’s novel The Burnt Orange Hersey apparently got … Continue reading
Posted in Film, News, Willeford
Tagged Burnt Orange Heresy, Christopher Walken, Hary Dean Stanton, Kent Harrington, Mick Jagger, Warren Oates
Rediscovered: A Chat with the Sundial Book Club
Michael Chong hasn’t sent any cool online tidbits about Charles Willeford in awhile, so maybe one was due. A little interview with Betsy Willeford — https://www.wlrn.org/post/mystery-writer-and-teacher-loved-freaking-out-his-students — posted June 20, occasioned by the Sundial Book Club selecting Miami Blues as … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Beat to Crap by Jack Palance
On Autograph Hound Saturday we showed you the signatures. How about on Autograph Hound Super-Sunday we show you the book they came in? To nab those autos you need this copy of the book. Leno mentioned the battered condition of … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit, Willeford
Tagged Arkham House, Autographs, Book Collecting, Jack Palance, Knopf yellowback Machens, Roads, Seabury Quinn
Rediscovered: The Full Belknapius
Then again, I could start a regular Autograph Hound Super-Sunday feature. . . . Brian Leno’s mention yesterday that he picked up his Alfred Galpin/Frank Belknap Long item from the Necronomicon Press catalog of Long’s last library reminded me of something. Leno isn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, Willeford
Tagged Autographs, Bill Clinton, Book Collecting, Brian Leno, Dennis Etchison, Frank Belknap Long, Necronomicon Press, Reign of Fear, Thomas M. Disch
Rediscovered: The Willeford Centennial
One hundred years ago today Charles Willeford was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. January 2, 1919-March 27, 1988 — and that March 27th happened to be Palm Sunday, that year. One of the absolute greats.
Rediscovered: NYT Flogs Cockfighter
Chad Calkins just tipped me to a feature in the New York Times where their in-house book critics do a year’s end roundup, of interest here because they are asked about older titles they may have read in 2018. Dwight … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Oakley Hall and 1940s California
If you want to check it out, my latest review for PW just popped. The gist and much of the wordage is mine (if you can’t tell the especially distinct Don Herron touch, you’re unfamiliar with my writings of the … Continue reading
Sinister Cinema: A Heist Flick, with Jagger
And a Tip of the Fedora to John Hocking, who popped in the news that Mick Jagger has been plugged into the cast for the movie of The Burnt Orange Heresy. The more potentially distressing news unveiled by Variety portrays the … Continue reading
