Say the name “Dashiell Hammett,” and certain images rush into the mind’s eye: the hard-boiled eyebrows of a falcon-chasing detective, the hard jaw lines of ruthless crooks, and perhaps the reality of well-dressed mystery writers pumping out fresh prose in San Francisco as they slowly perish of tuberculosis. For those well-versed in opportunities for the posthumous stalking of literary celebrities, the Dashiell Hammett Tour led by Don Herron may come to mind, replete as it is with the sight-seeing of author hangouts and significant spots cited in The Maltese Falcon and other shady tales. Having led the tour since 1977, Herron now celebrates by publishing the expanded and revised The Dashiell Hammett Tour: Thirtieth Anniversary Guidebook. Said book includes ample maps, a preface by Hammett’s daughter Jo, and a treasure trove of instructions for self-directed stalking. Herron will be on hand to celebrate and pontificate on all things Hammett, and to relate his own anecdotes of fame and excitement along the 30-year road of Sam Spade simulation.
Sun., April 5, 5 p.m., 2009
