Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America)

As a reader of classical fiction along the lines of Trollope and Bronte, I assumed Raymond Chandler would have little to offer me. But after hearing Toby Stephens' brilliant portrayal of his iconic Philip Marlowe on British radio I became intrigued. This volume is part of a set of two with all of Chandler's stories except Poodle Springs, his last, finished by Robert B. Parker. I began with the famous novels Farewell My Lovely and The Big Sleep. The writing was like nothing I was familiar with. Rather than be turned off by the slang of the underclass of the Depression Era '30's, I was drawn into a world totally realized and fascinating. The character of Marlowe is a miracle of cynicism and chivalry. The mystery in each novel is almost beside the point. It's Marlowe with his world-weary charm and wise-cracking persona that kept me enthralled. I then enjoyed reading Chandler's earlier stories for the pulp fiction magazines watching the evolution of his talent and spying glimpses of the Marlowe-to-be. Put your prejudices aside and prepare for artistry of a totally different kind. Classic Chandler: Farewell My Lovely Raymond Chandler: Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America) Classic Chandler: Playback

I'm a huge fan of the Library of America series. They're handsome on the shelf, they're durable hardcover editions, they font and feel of the pages are wonderful, you get three novels and some collected shorter pieces in one volume (great for trips), and they come with an interesting biographical timeline of the author so you can see their life story and how the work was influenced by their experiences. If you're browsing this particular edition here on Amazon, then you've got great taste and you're looking for something special. I can't say enough about how good Raymond Chandler is. If you like crime fiction, you've probably read hundreds of Chandler knockoffs without knowing it and will be amazed when you read the original master of the art. Here you get a nice introduction to his style as he refined it through his pulp stories (some of which you'll enjoy better than others), but by the time you get to the novels you'll get to see the refined product and will be blown away. I'm not going to summarize the stories or the characters in this review, best you find them on your own! If you like these, I'd also recommend you get the Dashiell Hammett books - also by Library of America. Right up there with Chandler.

I've wanted to read Raymond Chandler for a wrong time and never before came across the right volume of stories. This book was delivered on perfect condition and ahead of schedule . I've been reading the stories non-stop since receiving the book. VENDOR WAS TERRIFIC - GREAT SUPPORT !

Chandler was a brilliant writer and an American genius, every bit as important as Hemingway . But he wasn't very good as a mystery writer. He was honest about it, too, saying that he was more interested in atmosphere than logical deduction. It certainly shows in this collection. Chandler came to detective novels through the format of pulp fiction, which focused on violence and titillation rather than logic. Pulp writers wrote thrillers and action stories more than mysteries. Chandler did the same. To be honest, most of his early short stories are unreadable, and his one later story "The Pencil" doesn't even make it into the volume. Stuff like "Blackmailers Don't Shoot" adheres to tough-guy posturing and mannerisms on every page, but it's impossible to figure out who is blackmailing whom, and why, and also why these thugs are shooting those thugs. Of the whole lot, only "Pearls Are A Nuisance" turns out to be a sort of gem, mostly because it is a screwball comedy written in a ridiculously pedantic tone, very out of character. But you can't make a career writing stuff like that. We all know that this humble start eventually led to a huge success. However, revisiting The Big Sleep, it is surprising just how much it is indebted to the early work, and just how much it continues in the vein of the pulps. The rapidly accumulating murders are impenetrable; Chandler famously stated that he had no idea who killed the driver. (It seemed to me that it was an accident, but if so, it was a very improbable one.) Also reflecting Chandler's rough beginnings, this first Philip Marlowe novel is the only one where Marlowe kills a criminal. But at the same time, you can also see that something else is emerging. The ending of The Big Sleep is a stunning flash that instantaneously solves the main mystery, even if it does mean that all the sideplots fall by the wayside. It also introduces Marlowe as a unique character in American fiction. Tough guys who fight crime for great justice were nothing new in the 1930s, much less now. But Marlowe's concept of justice appears to be motivated by some instinctive sixth sense of honour, combined with a profound visceral disgust for criminals. Chandler understood that a little principle goes a long way -- Marlowe does not deliver long speeches or action-hero wisecracks, and often Chandler focuses so much on the routine details of the investigation (as well as Marlowe's whiskey-drinking) that it's impossible to tell exactly what the detective is thinking about everything. But in the ending, you see that he never forgot about principle, and that he understood the people he was dealing with long ago. His solution of the case is not based on any particular clue as much as on his instinctive perception of Carmen's character. That's not exactly detective fiction, but it is phenomenal drama. Chandler was a natural fit for Hollywood (where he wrote at least one classic screenplay), and yet no director or actor ever got Marlowe. Hawks has Bogart smirk too much and talk too fast, and Altman is clueless about Marlowe's motivation. The best Marlowe was Mitchum . But back to the collection. Chandler's second novel was Farewell, My Lovely, which surpasses The Big Sleep as much as the latter surpassed the short stories. It introduces Chandler's lyricism. Marlowe's disgust for criminals is blended with self-criticism (in a mordantly funny inner monologue when he attempts to obtain information from a key witness by plying her with gin), loneliness, and a kind of detached sorrow. The book is still full of disconnected incidents (the entire trip to Amthor turns out to be a pointless digression -- actually the movie with Mitchum improved on this part), but there are also actual clues, such as a business card that the reader is unlikely to notice in time. In any case, the digressions don't matter as much, as the book is full of vivid supporting characters...or, rather, the most generic supporting characters become vivid through Chandler's ornate, stylized dialogue, full of evasions and double meanings. A routine investigation scene, taking place in the hotel across from the bar where the book begins, is full of rich, quotable dialogue. The token cop character, omnipresent in detective fiction, splits into the lazy, jaded Nulty, desensitized by routine and unrewarding investigations, and the scarily professional detective Randall, every bit as sharp as Marlowe (and maybe more), but constrained by the law as well as by extra-legal politics. Chandler's third novel The High Window is probably the best detective story in this book. It is an extremely enjoyable read, and the investigation is more streamlined, and makes more sense, than in the first two books. Pleasantly, the token cop character this time around turns out to be a very reasonable man who tries to work together with Marlowe, a welcome change from the stereotype. The book generally has all the same elements as the others, with an unexpected twist and a somewhat more uplifting ending than usual, even if it doesn't cut quite as deep, and the endlessly masochistic Merle is neither interesting nor sympathetic enough to make a good emotional lynchpin. Still, as far as entertainment value is concerned, it delivers fully. This collection offers a lot of lasting value, and it's not even Chandler's best. That came later , with The Lady In The Lake, The Little Sister, and The Long Goodbye. He never quite became a mystery writer, but his contemplation of loss, isolation, and loyalty deepened, and his evocative, yet simple language and metaphors are just about unmatched in American literature.

Chandler was the master of the pulp fiction novel. These offerings move quickly and you can practically see them as a Bogie film noir. The big sleep, High Window and Farewell My Lovely were all made into films. Chandlers descriptions of pre WWII Los Angeles are amazing. His characters, especially his central protagonists are a gradient of gray, never black and white good or bad. Excellent reads.

This volume has some of Chandler's best. I had to return the first copy, because pages were missing: the end of Farewell....and the beginning of The High Window.

Very happy with my book .

A companion volume to 'Later Novels and Other Writings', it continues Chandler's work including the screenplay to 'Double Indemnity' and his famous essay 'The Simple Art of Murder'. It is a must-have for any crime aficionado and The Library of America should be praised for bringing these books to the general public in such handsome, enduring editions.