Saturday, November 13, 2010

The Lowdown on Charles Willeford


Portland crime writer Doug Levin has a fine new article on crime writer Charles Willeford on the Mulholland Books site. To check out "Charles Willeford's Portrait of the Artist as a Used Car Salesman," click HERE.

But before you go, take a gander at some of Willeford's many books:














 





5 comments:

jrlindermuth said...

One of the best crime writers of all time.

pattinase (abbott) said...

One of my absolute favorites. The Hoke Mosley stories are just so much fun.

Charles Gramlich said...

I've got to pick up a few of these. I never knew of Willeford growing up, but his kind of stuff wouldn't have sold in the Bible Belt where I came from.

Doug Levin said...

Thanks for the article plug and for sharing all of these covers. I'd seen most of them, but not all, so it's cool to see the original Pick-Up and also Kiss Your Ass Good-Bye (a Dennis McMillan Publications book). Three items of note: (1) The publisher of Lust is a Woman misspelled Willeford's name on the cover. (2) Willeford (I believe) never knew about the publication of Whip Hand; his former army buddy and co-writer W. Franklin Sanders sold the book. (3) Sideswipe: in the Willeford Archive at the Bienes Museum of the Modern Book (in Florida), there is a bullet-hole ridden copy of this edition, which was sent to Willeford with this note: "It is a crime to charge $15.95 for a piece of shit like this. A Dissatisfied Customer."

Ann Littlewood said...

I think I have to go lie down for a little while with a cold cloth over my eyes. Those covers! My eyes! My bodice!