Raymond Chandler: The Library of America Edition
Product ID: 1357261
Buy anything from 5,000+ international stores. One checkout price. No surprise fees. Join 2M+ shoppers on Desertcart.
Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to Nicaragua.
It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars. With these words, private eye Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s great literary creation and one of the most enduringly popular characters in American fiction, first took life seventy-five years ago. Here, for the first time in a deluxe collector’s box, are all seven Philip Marlowe novels— The Big Sleep ; Farewell, My Lovely ; The High Window ; The Lady in the Lake ; The Little Sister ; The Long Goodbye ; and Playback —along with thirteen classic pulp stories, Chandler’s brilliant screenplay for Double Indemnity , and a selection of his revealing essays and letters: the most comprehensive edition of the hard-boiled crime fiction of Raymond Chandler ever published. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries. Review: Raymond Chandler the master writer - Raymond Chandler is one, if not the best, detective noir writers. Inspired by Dashielle Hammett, Chandler turns the genre up a notch-or-two. Talk about a descriptive writer! Even though his stories take place in the late-1930s, his ability to describe a scene paints a very vivid picture of L.A.'s seedy life during that time period. Lots of games, booze, cigarettes, and gun play. Who was worse, the hood or the cop on the take. His short-stories and novels are hard to put down once you get started. This came as a two-volume set and contains all of Chandler's works and was published by The Library of America. I was able to purchase this used via desertcart. Goodwill Industries was the selling agent and was listed as 'good condition'. However, to my amazement, it was brand new, and the price was more than half the original asking price. If you are into this genre, I would highly recommend this set. Review: Value! - Excellent collection .. Just as described!
| Best Sellers Rank | #192,656 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #381 in Mystery Anthologies (Books) #10,470 in Cozy Mysteries (Books) #13,979 in American Literature (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 131 Reviews |
B**N
Raymond Chandler the master writer
Raymond Chandler is one, if not the best, detective noir writers. Inspired by Dashielle Hammett, Chandler turns the genre up a notch-or-two. Talk about a descriptive writer! Even though his stories take place in the late-1930s, his ability to describe a scene paints a very vivid picture of L.A.'s seedy life during that time period. Lots of games, booze, cigarettes, and gun play. Who was worse, the hood or the cop on the take. His short-stories and novels are hard to put down once you get started. This came as a two-volume set and contains all of Chandler's works and was published by The Library of America. I was able to purchase this used via Amazon. Goodwill Industries was the selling agent and was listed as 'good condition'. However, to my amazement, it was brand new, and the price was more than half the original asking price. If you are into this genre, I would highly recommend this set.
S**P
Value!
Excellent collection .. Just as described!
R**K
Nostalgia and Mystery - LA in the 40's
Very nicely bound, printed and boxed edition; good value. Excellent writing, superb storytelling and vivid characterizations of Southern California, and particularly LA in the late 30' though the early the 50's. As a child, I lived in the many of the areas Chandler wrote about, and his descriptions of the sites, sounds, smells, life styles, manner of dress, social structure and manner of speaking brought back many childhood memories. His plots tend to be complex; he's a great read for those who enjoy trying to solve mysteries, as well as those who just like to go with the flow of the story.
G**T
Wonderful descriptive writing from the glory days of Hammett and Chandler.
I received my collection just a couple of days past Christmas. It was ordered late and worked out fine. I'm a retired librarian who loves good writing. Since retiring 10 years ago I realized that I had to revert from the speed reading that I had been doing for two decades in ordering books for the public. Now that I have slowed back down I am able to savor each word as it was meant to be read when it was written. I read some of Chandler around the 70s but have not read all his work. Now that I have the time and a spouse who also reads several hours each day it is wonderful for something like this collection to be added to my shelf. The books are solid, the paper is great and will hold up and the print is just fine. This would be a treasure in anyone's collection.
C**R
A must-have, but the paper used is pretty thin for the money.
I’m a Chandler fan, so when I found this set—even for the price—I was happy to pay just to have his novels and short stories in a boxed set. I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed by the paper they used to print on. I have a number of collected works by other authors that are printed on a more robust substrate. Even so, I was thrilled to receive this collection by one of our greatest noir authors.
R**L
Complete Chandler
This collection of the works of the greatest detective writer is a very worthy addition to any reader's collection. One has to remember the era in which Chandler wrote, but the crackling dialogue is top notch.
Z**G
Spectacular Collection
ok...I love Chandler...and it's not a secret that I quote Marlowe whenever and as often as possible. And now I have a single two volume source for my clear plagiarism. The essays and other writings are a welcome addition to his 'known' work. Having recently retired from the 'entertainment business' the 'Writers in Hollywood' essay was an enjoyable and nearly contemporary piece of well placed vitriol.
C**N
The Very Best Raymond Chandler Collection
This box set has more than lived up to its reputation of being one of the greatest noir collections (or book collections in general) ever compiled. The quality of these two volumes is absolutely top notch. And the stories within them deserve their beautiful binding. The prose slays me, the stories are gripping, and the characters are perfectly developed. I am now hooked on Raymond Chandler's writing. By the way, this is an $80 value at quite a low price.
K**O
Thankyou
Superb; got from library when I was at school. Now have my own.
A**R
Arrived in time and in great condition.
Seller is trustworthy and the edition is superior
M**S
Belíssima edição
As folhas internas são um pouco leves, mas faz sentido dado o tamanho de cada volume, que juntos contém a obra integral do autor. O texto em si é excelente, como esperado: histórias das mais clássicas do gênero Hardboiled. Super recomendado para quem gosta de Noir e literatura americana em geral.
S**Y
A must have for Cahndler fans
A wonderful box set, with virtually everything RC put to paper. Do yourself a bibliophilite favor and get it.
C**N
Chandler is the Leonardo da Vinci of crime novel
In my opinion, novels are better than short stories. In those texts you can taste the real essence of Chandler indeed, while feeling like watching a movie on paper.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
2 weeks ago