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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.”
Search Results for: nathan ward
Hammett: A Strange Career? You Decide!
Brian Wallace just dropped a link into my Inbox, Anne Diebel in The Paris Review ruminating on Hammett’s career as a writer — and much of it seems to be riffing off Nathan Ward’s bio The Lost Detective. Kind of like … Continue reading
Hammett: And Stein
Nathan Ward just informed me of a tidbit he did for Crimereads, about the meeting of Hammett and Gertrude Stein. If you have his bio of Hammett, The Lost Detective, you’ve already got the gist of the incident. Especially these … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Cowboy Elmore
Our pal Nathan Ward is keeping his hand in with this and that, after knocking out his bio of Hammett way back in 2015. Mean Streets Up and Downers no doubt will be interested in reading a blurb he just … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Charlie Siringo, Range Op
If you’re curious, you can read at least the opening of a new article posted today for Westworld out of Denver on the famous or infamous range detective Charlie Siringo — researched and written by none other than our pal … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Fred Dannay and His More Literary Cousin
A couple of years back Nathan Ward popped me a link to an article — a very good, long article — about the popular Mean Streets topic Frederic Dannay, one half of the “Ellery Queen” writing team, and his continuing … Continue reading
Hammett: More Reviews from a “Careful Reading, Deep Thinking Advertising Man”
Terry Zobeck has raided the Library of Congress again, and found that they now have color copiers — but that copies of Western Advertising are a bit larger than their scanner bed, and that his scanner program just doesn’t do … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, News
Tagged Duncan Sisters, KGO, Library of Congress, Marc LaViolette, Nathan Ward, Richard Layman, Terry Zobeck, Western Advertising
Hammett: Hey-Ya, Hey-Ya, Who’s Got a Black Boid?
Nathan Ward just sent along a link to an article in Vanity Fair on the subject of falcon statues — from the 1941 Bogie flick or the George Segal The Black Bird or anywhere else you might grab a falcon … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, Film, News
Tagged Accessories to Murder, Black Dahlia murder, Bogie, George Segal, John's Grill, Maltese Falcon statue, Nathan Ward, Vanity Fair
Rediscovered: Life and Death for the Boxers
Boxing is in the air I’m breathing this weekend. Need to drop in for a birthday party for my pal Floyd Salas, who is hitting 85 years on the Mean Streets — and some of the streets he went up and down were unquestionably … Continue reading
Posted in Boxing, REH
Tagged Billy Papke, Brian Leno, Floyd Salas, Hype Igoe, John Lardner, Lovecraft, Manuel A. Mora, Nat Fleischer, Nathan Ward, Pete "The Goat" Stone, Stanley Ketchel
Hammett: Into the Ring
You haven’t heard the last of Nathan Ward on These Mean Streets — but you knew that. And make that Edgar Nominee Nathan Ward. Yeah, Nathan’s The Lost Detective — his bio of Hammett — just made the cut for the Edgar … Continue reading
Hammett: Win Some Lose Some
How about the Hitchcockesque pic above to close out the year? Shot in the stairwell in the Mechanics’ Library after one of my talks about Hammett or noir. I feel noir just looking at it. And kind of dizzy, too. … Continue reading
