In a message dated 12/16/02 4:03:41 AM Eastern Standard Time,
owner-rara-avis@icomm.ca writes:
<< I have a question that is indirectly related to
mid-c.20
detective
fiction. In doing some research on the history of
autograph
collecting, I found the following definition and
citation
in the
Random House Historical Dictionary of American
Slang:
-
-----------------------------------------------------------
- --------
autograph hound n. a collector of autographs, esp.
an
offensive person who clamor for the autographs of
celebrities. Now colloq.
1933 in Ruhm [ital]Detective[/ital] 72: He was an
autograph
hound....He collected autographs. Autographs of all
the
stars....He had five hundred of 'em.
-
-----------------------------------------------------------
- --------
I'm curious about the citation. What "Detective"
magazine
is it referring to? Who is this mysterious Ruhm
character?
What does the number 72 refer to? The only info I've
been
able to dig up on the web relating the name Ruhm
to
detective fiction is Herbert Ruhm's anthology,
"The
Hard-Boiled Detective: Stories from Black Mask
Magazine,
1920-1951." If anyone on the list who has seen that
volume
can speak to its relevance, or if anyone has an idea
about
how I should approach this problem, I would
greatly
appreciate any assistance you can provide.
On a related note, I am most interested in obtaining
an
original copy of the magazine/whatever source
originally
held the quotes listed in the citation. Is Ebay the
best
place to find vintage detective fiction, or are
there
better sources - online or otherwise?
Many thanks,
Nathaniel Adams
University of Virginia
>>
The citation is from Herbert Ruhm's anthology THE HARD-BOILED
DETECTIVE
(Vintage Books 1977). The story in question is on page 72 and
is "Kansas City Flash" by Norbert Davis from the March 1933
issue of Black Mask magazine. This story uses the term
"autograph hound" opens in a Hollywood restaurant.
This rang a bell with me. Another Norbert Davis story "Don't
Give Your Right Name" from Dime Detective December 1941 opens
in a Hollywood restaurant and features a character named
Steamer who is described as an "autogaph collector" and
"autograph addict." This story has been reprinted several
times including in Ron Goulart's anthology THE HARDBOILED
DICKS (Sherbourne Press 1965 & Pocket Books 1966) as well
as in the collection THE ADVENTURES OF MAX LATIN by Norbert
Davis (Mysterious Press 1988). The story is on page 68 of MAX
LATIN. Davis (1909-1949) was a regular in the detective
pulps.
I am certain you can find reasonably priced copies of these
books on abebooks.com although the Goulart book might cost a
few bucks even in paperback.
Since you are in Charlottesville, VA, I would suggest
checking the local bookstores before ordering online. There
is "Read It Again Sam" which has a large mystery section and
another general used book store the name of which escapes me.
It is across the alley from The Biltmore Restaurant and I
have seen a copy of the Max Latin book in one of the stacks
on the floor. That's was a few months ago.
Oh, and the omelettes at the Biltmore ain't bad either and
the wait staff is easy on the peepers too.
Richard Moore
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