Welcome to the unoffical Max Allan Collins appreciation page. Collins is a rare triple-threat: he's an author, a musician, and a film director and producer. And he's been very successful at all three. But despite his success and the respect of his peers, Collins remains largely unknown outside the mystery community.

This page is intended as a tribute to a writer I have admired for many years. My first exposure to his work came while he was writing the Dick Tracy comic strip. When he was hired for an all-too-brief stint as the writer of DC Comics' Batman comic book, I learned that he was also a novellist. Shortly after that, I read my first Collins novel -- The Baby Blue Rip-Off -- and I was hooked. I quickly devoured everything I could find that he had written, even going so far as to make a trip to the University of Iowa to read his Master's thesis.

Since then my admiration for Collins' work has only grown. But while I've been pleased to see him so consistently honored by his peers, I've also been frustrated that he has yet to become a best-selling author like Sue Grafton, Dick Francis, Lillian Jackson Braun, or other (often inferior) writers. With luck, these pages will serve as an introduction to his work for many, and the popular success he deserves will follow.

Eventually, the categories listed on the left will be active links.  The Man will contain a biography of and other information about Collins.  The Books will list all his books in chronological order, and feature sub-lists of which novels feature his various recurring characters.  You will also be able to buy his works via amazon.com and bibliofind.com.   The Music will contain information about his two musical side projects, Crusin' and Seduction of the Innocent.  And The Films will feature his widely acclaimed films Mommy and Mommy 2: Mommy's Day, as well as the somewhat less acclaimed The Expert, for which he wrote the screenplay.

Links will take visitors to other pages with regard to Collins.  Tips for Collectors offers helpful hints to those looking to complete their collections, especially those hard-to-find paperback originals.  And you'll be able to speak your mind about Collins, and see what's on the mind of other fans.

But as of this writing, all those pages are still in the design phase.  Check back soon, or subscribe Mind-It to be notified via e-mail when this page is updated.

- John Heaton, October 1998