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
Tag Archives: Autographs
Rediscovered: The Death of Sax
Arch-Autograph Hound Brian Leno hauls out a couple of John Hancocks to mark an anniversary, including one from the iconic Anna May Wong, who just got her own American quarterpiece, if you prefer to collect coins. Here’s Brian: Sixty-three years … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit, News, REH
Tagged Anna May Wong, Autographs, Brian Leno, Fu-Manchu, Joan Bradshaw, Joseph Clement Coll, Sax Rohmer
Rediscovered: Val Lewton
Autograph Hound Saturday once more, and Brian Leno is back to give us a glance at one of his most recent acquisitions in the Department of Serious John Hancocks. Take it, Brian: I haven’t seen too many Val Lewton signatures … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit
Tagged Autographs, Boris Karloff, Brian Leno, James T. Farrell, Val Lewton, Weird Tales
Rediscovered: Poe’s Mustache
Autograph Hound Saturday, with Brian Leno back on the stick to show off another offtrail corner of his John Hancock hobby. While I’m sure Brian would have nothing against getting some major signature if he had the opportunity, a Bill … Continue reading
Rediscovered: At the Earth’s Core
News that a deluxe signed artist’s edition of At the Earth’s Core is coming up spurred Brian Leno to dig out some apt John Hancockery from his bulging files for Autograph Hound Saturday. Here’s Brian from the signature vaults: I … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Lit, News
Tagged At the Earth's Core, Autographs, Brian Leno, Caroline Munro, Doug McClure, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.
Rediscovered: Wetjen Returns
I’d almost suspect that Brian Leno has gone all lazy on me, since he hasn’t popped in a new post in over a month — my god, does he expect me to handle all the Mean Streets action by myself? … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged Adventure, Albert Richard Wetjen, Autographs, Book Collecting, Brian Leno, Frederick W. Skiff, Jim Tully, John Gilbert, W. F. Hopson
Rediscovered: Lester Dent
Autograph Hound Saturday again and our resident Autograph Hound, in the person of Brian Leno, hauls out the very latest acquisition to his sprawling spread of John Hancocks. This round he presents another Lester Dent item (you may recall his … Continue reading
Rediscovered: The Romantic Count von Cosel
Well, maybe The Maltese Falcon isn’t the sickest love story ever. . . . Late last year Brian Leno got to poking around in the Unusual and popped some stuff my way, which I realized might not be quite appropriate … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Count Karl Tanzler von Cosel, Fantastic Adventures, Key West, Les Cole, Ray Palmer, Valentine
Mort: Yvette Mimieux
Autograph Hound Saturday and Brian Leno pulls an image from his collection as a gesture of “respect for Yvette Mimieux, who died on the 17th.” Struggling with a Wellsian Morlock from the beloved 1960 George Pal production of The Time … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, George Pal, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine, Yvette Mimieux
Rediscovered: More Burnham
Autograph Hound Super-Sunday and the intrepid John Hancock Hunter Brian Leno drops in a note to say, “I know I’ve written about Burnham on your blog but I don’t think I ever showed you his signature. “This book he inscribed … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Frederick Russell Burnham, Henry Fairfield Osborn
