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: Brian Leno
Rediscovered: Almost Done, But for Reading the Index
Brian Leno pokes merrily along in John D. Haefele’s Lovecraft: The Great Tales, and mentions something he found on page 715: Just finished the “Haunter of the Dark” chapter, which reminded me tomorrow is the anniversary of HPL’s death. Last … Continue reading
Rediscovered: So Far, So Good
I told Brian Leno he could do a formal review for Mean Streets of John D. Haefele’s Lovecraft: The Great Tales whenever he finishes. But of course, no one will be sitting down and reading that monster of litcrit in … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, REH
Tagged A. Merritt, Brian Leno, Clark Ashton Smith, Farnsworth Wright, Frank Owen, Hazel Heald, Henry S. Whitehead, John D. Haefele, Lovecraft, Rob Roehm, S.T. Joshi, Weird Tales, William Hope Hodgson
Rediscovered: The Starrett Bookplates
Brian Leno was poking around the web, as he often does, and ran across a blog post with a history and gallery of the bookplates of the great Chicago bookman Vincent Starrett. I’ve got one or two books from his … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Further “Fungus” Fisher
Yet another Autograph Hound Super-Sunday! Jeez, what have I got lying around in all the stacks of stuff? Remember when Brian Leno provided a John Hancock for Philip M. Fisher Jr, probably best known today for his short story “Fungus … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged "Fungus Isle", Argosy All-Story Weekly, Brian Leno, Frank A. Munsey, Kevin Cook, Philip M. Fisher Jr, The Great War
Rediscovered: The Poet Jack
It’s been mentioned before on These Mean Streets, but among the numerous hobbies and preoccupations — Autograph Hound, Two-Gun Bob fan — of Brian Leno, he’s got an interest in Ripperology, and herewith marks a grim anniverary: On September 30, … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Brian Leno, Catherine Eddowes, E. T. Hoffmann, Elizabeth Stride, Francis Thompson, Jack the Ripper
Rediscovered: More on Block on the Block (with a Young Belknapius Footnote)
I was e-chatting with Terry Zobeck over the copy of Lawrence Block’s rare (and unknown, until Terry reported on it) second book, currently on the block at eBay. Terry said, “He should be noting the artist too, there is a … Continue reading
Posted in Lit, News
Tagged Brian Leno, E. Hoffmann Price, eBay, Frank Belknap Long, Gene Bilbrew, Lawrence Block, Terry Zobeck
Rediscovered: Brooding Over John Hancocks
Just got a note in from the famed and maniacal Autograph Hound Brian Leno, who says: Last night some guy was selling about 70 or so signed postal covers. Good stuff too, so I got my trigger finger ready and … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Jack’s Pack
Famous Autograph Hound Brian Leno returns with a few items for yet another Autograph Hound Saturday. And of course he’s got a theme going: I’ve been on a bit of a Jack London kick lately. First up is a signed … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Ed Morrell, Jack London, Martin Johnson, Stanley Waterloo, The Snark
Rediscovered: Hawkwood
Autograph Hound Saturday jumps me! Already? Yep. Via the offices of that maniacal collector Brian Leno, who tells me he has “a Francis Lederer coming today. Remember him as the Count in Night Gallery‘s version of Manly Wade Wellman’s ‘The … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged Adventure, Autographs, Book Collecting, Brian Leno, Doug Ellis, Marion Polk Angellotti
Rediscovered: More Ted on the Block
My blurb yesterday on Ted Schulz, noted Holmesian, inspired Brian Leno to poke around on the side on eBay, after he’d made a few early morning passes looking for John Hancocks. He discovered a tribute to Ted, listed for only … Continue reading
