Kent Anderson Signed Firsts: A Reference
Kent Anderson wrote from a life that most crime fiction authors can only imagine. A Green Beret in Vietnam, then a street cop in Portland and Oakland, Anderson channeled his experiences into novels of staggering authenticity. His protagonist Hanson — a Special Forces veteran turned police officer — is one of the most compellingly real characters in American crime fiction, drawn from the author’s own life with an honesty that borders on confession.
The Novels
Anderson’s bibliography is tiny and perfect:
- Sympathy for the Devil (1987) — Hanson in Vietnam, one of the great war novels
- Night Dogs (1996) — Hanson as a Portland cop, a masterpiece of police fiction
- Green Sun (2018) — Hanson in 1980s Oakland, the long-awaited third novel
The twenty-two-year gap between Night Dogs and Green Sun became legendary in crime fiction circles. Anderson worked as a cop, a professor, and a writer-in-residence during those years, and when Green Sun finally appeared, it was worth the wait.
Signing History and Market Values
Anderson is a reclusive figure by the standards of the crime fiction world. He has not been a prolific signer, making signed copies of his novels scarce relative to more accessible authors.
- Sympathy for the Devil, signed first: $200–$600
- Night Dogs, signed first: $150–$400
- Green Sun, signed first: $50–$150
- Unsigned firsts: $30–$100 (Sympathy), $20–$60 (Night Dogs)
Anderson’s novels are cult classics — beloved by a devoted readership that includes many working police officers and veterans. The tiny bibliography and the author’s relative obscurity make his signed firsts a niche collecting area with genuine depth.