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: DMac
Rediscovered: Shiel and Floyd and an Absurd Adventure of Dennis McMillan
Just noticed a quick email from 2022 where Brian Leno told me: Came across a letter where Lawrence of Arabia — in his T. E. Shaw alias — tells a bookseller he will take a copy of Shiel’s The Purple … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Lit, News
Tagged Brian Leno, Death Lit Essays and Reviews 1974-2024, Eddie Little, Floyd Salas, John D. Squires, Lawrence of Arabia, M. P. Shiel, Steve Eng
Rediscovered: The Shadow and His Signatories
Autograph Hound Super-Sunday once more! Haven’t done one of these in awhile — and for once it’s not coming from that maniacal Autograph Hound Brian Leno. At least not directly. Brian did tip me to a plethora of John Hancocks … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Lit
Tagged Anthony Boucher, Arkham House, Autographs, Bouchercon, Brian Garfield, Brian Leno, Christiana Brand, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Edward D. Hoch, Frederic Dannay, Gahan Wilson, Gary Phillips, Isaac Asimov, Jack Kerouac, John Ball, Jon L. Lellenberg, Kent Harrington, Lin Carter, Maxwell Grant, Michelle Slung, Phyllis A. Whitney, Phyllis White, Posse McMillan, Richard Lackritz, Robert Fish, Ron Goulart, Stanley Ellin, Steranko, The Shadow, Walter Gibson
Posse McMillan: 5 Million Years Ago
Dennis McMillan phoned this morning and we caught up. After I got off the line I popped him the info on The Burnt Shadow and The Burnt Machens, where he played a role. Then he sent back this photo — … Continue reading
Rediscovered: Death Lit on the Block
If you picked up my most recent book Arkham House Ephemera: The Classic Years 1937-1973, I am here to slip you the word that no longer is it the latest title to leap to life. The newest of the new … Continue reading
Posted in Dash, DMac, Film, Frisco, Lit, News, REH, SFSC, Tour, Willeford
Tagged Arkham House Ephemera The Classic Years 1937-1973, Book Collecting, Death Lit Essays and Reviews 1974-2024
Rediscovered: The Burnt Machens
Speaking of burnt books, the most notorious examples I personally saw in a bookstore, actually offered for sale, were several first edition Arthur Machen titles. Early stuff. Fin de siècle. Previous siècle. I remember a brief talk with my pal … Continue reading
Posted in DMac, Frisco, Lit
Tagged Alan Warren, Arthur Machen, Book Collecting, McDonald's Bookstore, Peter Howard, Serendipity, Stephen King, Tenderloin, Vincent Starrett
Rediscovered: The Burnt Shadow
Speaking of The Shadow, the excellent new book The Shadowed Circle Compendium reminded me of a trip a few years ago, when I stopped in on Dennis McMillan during a period he lived in Gallup, New Mexico. Dennis had access … Continue reading
Posse McMillan: A Jim Nisbet Memory
I cannot say that I knew the late Jim Nisbet well — went to his house in one of the alleys off Hayes and Laguna two or three times, mostly because Dennis McMillan happened to be visiting at the moment. … Continue reading
Posse McMillan: More on Nisbet
Noted book and pulp collector Kevin Cook sent in a few thoughts on the recent death of Jim Nisbet: I was saddened to hear of the death of Jim Nisbet at age 75. Nisbet was a tremendously uneven author. I … Continue reading
Posse McMillan: Kent Harrington and the Third Degree
Our buddy Kent Harrington from the old Posse McMillan days — and up to today — fields some snoopy queries in his latest interview over on the Noir Con site. He mentions Dennis McMillan and the days of yesteryear, plus … Continue reading
Posse McMillan: Jim Nisbet, Mort
Just got a message from Kent Harrington at 6p.m., who says: “Jim Nisbet passed today. Dennis just texted me.” Another writer from Posse McMillan down.
