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: Batgirl at $11,850 Off
Got a note in from Brian Leno immediately after he read Tom Krabacher’s report on the Windy City pulp convention, where the issue of Weird Tales with Margaret Brundage’s “Batgirl” cover went at auction for $11,000 plus 10% buyer’s premium. … Continue reading
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
Rediscovered: FrankenHammer
To keep Autograph Hound Super-Sunday going, Halloween-style, how about a glance at a formal display from Brian Leno’s extensive collection of John Hancocks? A couple of days ago Brian informed me: “Got up this morning and figured today would be … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Christopher Lee, Halloween, Hammer Films, Hazel Court, Peter Cushing, The Curse of Frankenstein
Rediscovered: Vampira for the Holiday
Autograph Hound Super-Sunday — and on Halloween! Does our resident Autograph Hound Brian Leno have anything to put on display? A rhetorical question, really, because he’s done Halloween before, and I’ll bet on him doing it again. Take it away, … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Halloween, Maila Nurmi, Paavo Nurmi, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Vampira
Rediscovered: Chicken-Fried Cthulhu
This morning Brian Leno hit me with a curiosity that could appeal to Lovecraft fans everywhere, an inimitable rendering of a pivotal moment in “The Call of Cthulhu” (at least, I’m fairly confident that’s the mise–en–scène for this tableau). “Went through … Continue reading
Rediscovered: The Avenger
Autograph Hound Super-Sunday again. It’s always Autograph Hound Super-Sunday in The House of Leno. Today Brian is keeping it light, showing off a couple of items related to the pulp hero The Avenger — The Avenger, not as big as … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Paul Ernst, Peter Caras, Pulps, The Avenger, Weird Tales
Rediscovered: More Starrett and a Williamson — Plus a Margo
Awhile back I was chatting with Brian Leno about the great Chicago bookman Vincent Starrett, and mentioned that my preferred state for his Books About Books would be to have a copy (in jacket, nice condition, and so on) inscribed … Continue reading
Posted in Frisco, Lit
Tagged Autographs, Book Collecting, Brian Leno, J. N. Williamson, Margo Skinner, Reign of Fear, Stuart Schiff, Vincent Starrett, Whispers
Rediscovered: Yet Another Tidbit of Starrett and Sherlock
Autograph Hound Super-Sunday once more, and Brian Leno drags out yet another recent purchase for you to eyeball — with the backstory of how he got put on the scent. John Hancock fans, the game’s afoot: I picked up another … Continue reading
Posted in Lit
Tagged Autographs, Brian Leno, Grady Hendrix, J. N. Williamson, Sherlock Holmes, Stuart Schiff, Vincent Starrett, Whispers
