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:

  1. One of the best crime writers of all time.

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

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  3. 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.

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  4. 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."

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  5. 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!

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