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The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
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Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
Author: Raymond Chandler
Publisher: Everyman's Library
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $18.15
You Save: $ 9.35 ( 34% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
Author: Raymond Chandler
Publisher: Everyman's Library
Average Customer Rating:
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The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library) Description
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780375415012
ISBN: 0375415017
Label: Everyman's Library
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 704
Publication Date: 2002-10-15
Publisher: Everyman's Library
Product Release Date: 2002-10-15
Studio: Everyman's Library
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780375415012
ISBN: 0375415017
Label: Everyman's Library
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 704
Publication Date: 2002-10-15
Publisher: Everyman's Library
Product Release Date: 2002-10-15
Studio: Everyman's Library
Editorial Review of The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed)
Raymond Chandler’s first three novels, published here in one volume, established his reputation as an unsurpassed master of hard-boiled detective fiction.
The Big Sleep, Chandler’s first novel, introduces Philip Marlowe, a private detective inhabiting the seamy side of Los Angeles in the 1930s, as he takes on a case involving a paralyzed California millionaire, two psychotic daughters, blackmail, and murder. In Farewell, My Lovely, Marlowe deals with the gambling circuit, a murder he stumbles upon, and three very beautiful but potentially deadly women. In The High Window, Marlowe searches the California underworld for a priceless gold coin and finds himself deep in the tangled affairs of a dead coin collector.
In all three novels, Chandler’s hard-edged prose, colorful characters, vivid vernacular, and, above all, his enigmatic loner of a hero, enduringly establish his claim not only to the heights of his chosen genre but to the pantheon of literary art.
Raymond Chandler’s first three novels, published here in one volume, established his reputation as an unsurpassed master of hard-boiled detective fiction.
The Big Sleep, Chandler’s first novel, introduces Philip Marlowe, a private detective inhabiting the seamy side of Los Angeles in the 1930s, as he takes on a case involving a paralyzed California millionaire, two psychotic daughters, blackmail, and murder. In Farewell, My Lovely, Marlowe deals with the gambling circuit, a murder he stumbles upon, and three very beautiful but potentially deadly women. In The High Window, Marlowe searches the California underworld for a priceless gold coin and finds himself deep in the tangled affairs of a dead coin collector.
In all three novels, Chandler’s hard-edged prose, colorful characters, vivid vernacular, and, above all, his enigmatic loner of a hero, enduringly establish his claim not only to the heights of his chosen genre but to the pantheon of literary art.
Customer Reviews of The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: chester blasczak review of The Big Sleep-Everymans library
Review: Having seen The Big Sleep film many times..my favorite Humphrey Bogart movie, I thought it might be fun to read the novel by Raymond Chandler. I am so glad I did. Not only was it an enjoyable page turner, but it filled in some of the questions I have always had about the movie plot.
Chandler is an amazing author, And Phillip Marlowe is an awesome character. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading a novel with lots of excitement and surprises.
ps: The Everyman's Library series is outstanding in quality, and given Amazons generous discount, a real value.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Get it. Get this edition.
Review: Not whether to get it -- for you must -- but which edition to get it in -- that is the question. And the Everyman's edition is the edition you want. It has three novels to Modern Library's two, and its paper is thicker than that of the Library of America edition. The font is a tad smaller than that in the Vintage Crime paperback editions, but still pleasantly readable. And the hardcover binding is a sturdy, beautiful and very strokable red cloth.
As for the novels themselves, well, suffice to say, they are classics: addictive, page-turning, vivid, funny, haunting. The characters are original and believable. All rendered in tight prose and witty, convincing dialogues.
Enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: As Hard-boiled as it gets....
Review: "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."
- Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep
And thus began the criteria for what a private eye would look like and what his moral code would be. Raymond Chandler, author of the Philip Marlowe series of crime novels, set the bar high and generations would follow in his writing footsteps.
Raymond Chandler is considered to be one of the most influential writers of crime fiction and his phenomenal creation of the detective Philip Marlowe has survived decades.
Every time a modern reader discovers a new private eye who is facing some interesting and very tough times but is able to do it with integrity and a strict moral code alongwith a "soldier's eye"; you are meeting Raymond Chandler the writer all over again. And Philip Marlowe his creation is playing a pivotal role in the background.
Raymond Chandler wrote seven detective novels but THE BIG SLEEP is probably his best out of the three in this edition. He was in his fifties when he wrote these novels; yet the first novel cited: THE BIG SLEEP would become an American landmark in the hard-boiled detective genre and would really launch Chandler into the icon that he is today.
The reader will discover unified themes with strong and fully developed characters with incredible imagery and metaphors. Chandler's literary style is distinctive and very crisp. You will love his writing and it brings back nostalgia for a time long past. If you are new to hard-boiled detective stories, this is the series that I would start with
In the first novel THE BIG SLEEP you will be introduced to the Sternwoods: General Sternwood, Vivian and Carmen and all three are interesting studies and all three as General Sternwood notes hasn't "any more moral sense than a cat." General Sternwood is on his deathbed and hired Philip Marlowe to check out why he was being blackmailed by one Arthur Gwynn Geiger. His two daughters, Vivian and Carmen, are quite a handful but General Sternwood feels in part responsible for his plight. As he tells Marlow, "I need not add that a man who indulges in parenthood for the first time at the age of fifty-four deserves all he gets." He describes his two daughters as being "spoiled, exacting, smart and ruthless with the younger girl as being the type who likes to pull wings off flies".
Chandler's novels do highlight crooks and morally-corrupt characters and derelicts, but they are counter-balanced by Marlowe, Bernie Ohls, and General Sternwood--all of whom possess a strong sense of honor, a consideration of what is proper and are for the most part trying to live a life above board.
There are numerous murders that take place in all three of these detective Marlowe novels and a tight interwoven plot which will keep you on the edge of your seat until you get to the last page.
Just as an interesting sideline, when THE BIG SLEEP (the first of Chandler's novels) was published in 1939 there was only an advance of 5,000 copies by Alfred A. Knopf. However, Knopf knew the power and the contribution that this novel would make. They actually took out an advertisement for this book on the front cover of the Publisher's Weekly which was most unusual for a novelist's first book.
The dust jacket flaps read:
"Not since Dashiell Hammett appeared has there been a murder mystery story with the power, pace, and terrifying atmosphere of this one. And like Hammett's this is more than a "murder mystery": it is a novel of crime and character, written with uncommon skill in a tight, tense style which is irresistible."
And so it was. I would highly recommend reading these crime novels and being introduced to Philip Marlowe. THE BIG SLEEP was made into a movie starring Bogart and Bacall with the screen play being written by William Faulkner no less.
Don't miss these novels. I almost did.
Note: This Everyman's Library is a great buy. It is a hardcover and for $18.15 with some offerings of $14.95, the buyer can get three (3) Chandler novels. The paperback for THE BIG SLEEP alone is $10.36!
Rating: A
Bentley/October 2007
The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Chandler reigns
Review: I first came across Chandler when I heard the Coen brothers interview and discovered that 'The Big Lebowski' was written in the style of one (name itself being derived from 'The Big Sleep'). This alone interested me enough to buy and read The Big Sleep.
Six novels later, I'm still reading Chandler novels, and still finding each and every one different, interesting and intriguing. The main character Marlowe is a wisecracking detective, wary of women - whom he obviously mistrusts - except for the "bad type of women", for whom he does not particularly care. He is also a complex, intelligent man, often an altruist who goes to some extraordinary lengths for his clients, even when he's not paid.
Novels are usually set in 30's/40's Hollywood and Bay City (which is since called something else), and are especially nostalgic, if you've lived in the surrounding areas.
Chandler's writing is funny and unique - the stories - all told in first person, are written so that the reader is both aware of Marlowe's conscious thoughts, and at the same time, when the ending or some pivotal point in the story arrives - is not. This point is not easy to describe, but it works extremely well - the stories are always amusing, captivating, and suspenseful.
I will easily recommend any Chandler novel for anyone interested in mysteries, as well as to those that enjoy unconventional styles of storytelling.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great Fun!
Review: I am generally not very interested in mystery/detective books and don't think that I've read any other than a few Sherlock Holmes books many years ago. That said, I picked this book up on a whim and really enjoyed it.
The short novels included in this book all feature LA private eye Phillip Marlowe and are apparently set in the '30s and '40s. I really liked the following aspects of these novels:
1) It is really fun to read Chandler's descriptions of the places, clothes, cars, slang, mannerisms, characters, etc. of the time. Marlowe's wise-crack observations, while cliched, often had me laughing out loud;
2) While Chandler uses all of the stock characters (smooth but menacing nightclub owners, sultry crooners, wise-guy PIs, effete rich buffoons, etc.), he really makes most of them come alive with the dialogue and their interactions with each other. In other words, Chandler does a great job of taking what would seem to be card-board cut-out characters and breathing life into them;
3) Marlowe is able to resolve most conflicts with a couple glasses of whiskey and some wise-cracks, especially if a "dame" is involved. Today, it seems like most such conflicts would be resolved with a burst of AK-47 fire or worse. While no doubt highly idealized, Chandler's more innocent world is appealing to read about.
4) For what it is worth, I am a big fan of the Everyman's Library series (which this edition is part of)--they are attractive, have good heft, include a page-marker ribbon, etc.
Probably my only criticism of these novels is that the plots are a bit contrived, but I guess that is part of the fun.
TMR
Review Summary: chester blasczak review of The Big Sleep-Everymans library
Review: Having seen The Big Sleep film many times..my favorite Humphrey Bogart movie, I thought it might be fun to read the novel by Raymond Chandler. I am so glad I did. Not only was it an enjoyable page turner, but it filled in some of the questions I have always had about the movie plot.
Chandler is an amazing author, And Phillip Marlowe is an awesome character. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading a novel with lots of excitement and surprises.
ps: The Everyman's Library series is outstanding in quality, and given Amazons generous discount, a real value.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Get it. Get this edition.
Review: Not whether to get it -- for you must -- but which edition to get it in -- that is the question. And the Everyman's edition is the edition you want. It has three novels to Modern Library's two, and its paper is thicker than that of the Library of America edition. The font is a tad smaller than that in the Vintage Crime paperback editions, but still pleasantly readable. And the hardcover binding is a sturdy, beautiful and very strokable red cloth.
As for the novels themselves, well, suffice to say, they are classics: addictive, page-turning, vivid, funny, haunting. The characters are original and believable. All rendered in tight prose and witty, convincing dialogues.
Enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: As Hard-boiled as it gets....
Review: "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."
- Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep
And thus began the criteria for what a private eye would look like and what his moral code would be. Raymond Chandler, author of the Philip Marlowe series of crime novels, set the bar high and generations would follow in his writing footsteps.
Raymond Chandler is considered to be one of the most influential writers of crime fiction and his phenomenal creation of the detective Philip Marlowe has survived decades.
Every time a modern reader discovers a new private eye who is facing some interesting and very tough times but is able to do it with integrity and a strict moral code alongwith a "soldier's eye"; you are meeting Raymond Chandler the writer all over again. And Philip Marlowe his creation is playing a pivotal role in the background.
Raymond Chandler wrote seven detective novels but THE BIG SLEEP is probably his best out of the three in this edition. He was in his fifties when he wrote these novels; yet the first novel cited: THE BIG SLEEP would become an American landmark in the hard-boiled detective genre and would really launch Chandler into the icon that he is today.
The reader will discover unified themes with strong and fully developed characters with incredible imagery and metaphors. Chandler's literary style is distinctive and very crisp. You will love his writing and it brings back nostalgia for a time long past. If you are new to hard-boiled detective stories, this is the series that I would start with
In the first novel THE BIG SLEEP you will be introduced to the Sternwoods: General Sternwood, Vivian and Carmen and all three are interesting studies and all three as General Sternwood notes hasn't "any more moral sense than a cat." General Sternwood is on his deathbed and hired Philip Marlowe to check out why he was being blackmailed by one Arthur Gwynn Geiger. His two daughters, Vivian and Carmen, are quite a handful but General Sternwood feels in part responsible for his plight. As he tells Marlow, "I need not add that a man who indulges in parenthood for the first time at the age of fifty-four deserves all he gets." He describes his two daughters as being "spoiled, exacting, smart and ruthless with the younger girl as being the type who likes to pull wings off flies".
Chandler's novels do highlight crooks and morally-corrupt characters and derelicts, but they are counter-balanced by Marlowe, Bernie Ohls, and General Sternwood--all of whom possess a strong sense of honor, a consideration of what is proper and are for the most part trying to live a life above board.
There are numerous murders that take place in all three of these detective Marlowe novels and a tight interwoven plot which will keep you on the edge of your seat until you get to the last page.
Just as an interesting sideline, when THE BIG SLEEP (the first of Chandler's novels) was published in 1939 there was only an advance of 5,000 copies by Alfred A. Knopf. However, Knopf knew the power and the contribution that this novel would make. They actually took out an advertisement for this book on the front cover of the Publisher's Weekly which was most unusual for a novelist's first book.
The dust jacket flaps read:
"Not since Dashiell Hammett appeared has there been a murder mystery story with the power, pace, and terrifying atmosphere of this one. And like Hammett's this is more than a "murder mystery": it is a novel of crime and character, written with uncommon skill in a tight, tense style which is irresistible."
And so it was. I would highly recommend reading these crime novels and being introduced to Philip Marlowe. THE BIG SLEEP was made into a movie starring Bogart and Bacall with the screen play being written by William Faulkner no less.
Don't miss these novels. I almost did.
Note: This Everyman's Library is a great buy. It is a hardcover and for $18.15 with some offerings of $14.95, the buyer can get three (3) Chandler novels. The paperback for THE BIG SLEEP alone is $10.36!
Rating: A
Bentley/October 2007
The Big Sleep; Farewell, My Lovely; The High Window (Everyman's Library)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Chandler reigns
Review: I first came across Chandler when I heard the Coen brothers interview and discovered that 'The Big Lebowski' was written in the style of one (name itself being derived from 'The Big Sleep'). This alone interested me enough to buy and read The Big Sleep.
Six novels later, I'm still reading Chandler novels, and still finding each and every one different, interesting and intriguing. The main character Marlowe is a wisecracking detective, wary of women - whom he obviously mistrusts - except for the "bad type of women", for whom he does not particularly care. He is also a complex, intelligent man, often an altruist who goes to some extraordinary lengths for his clients, even when he's not paid.
Novels are usually set in 30's/40's Hollywood and Bay City (which is since called something else), and are especially nostalgic, if you've lived in the surrounding areas.
Chandler's writing is funny and unique - the stories - all told in first person, are written so that the reader is both aware of Marlowe's conscious thoughts, and at the same time, when the ending or some pivotal point in the story arrives - is not. This point is not easy to describe, but it works extremely well - the stories are always amusing, captivating, and suspenseful.
I will easily recommend any Chandler novel for anyone interested in mysteries, as well as to those that enjoy unconventional styles of storytelling.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great Fun!
Review: I am generally not very interested in mystery/detective books and don't think that I've read any other than a few Sherlock Holmes books many years ago. That said, I picked this book up on a whim and really enjoyed it.
The short novels included in this book all feature LA private eye Phillip Marlowe and are apparently set in the '30s and '40s. I really liked the following aspects of these novels:
1) It is really fun to read Chandler's descriptions of the places, clothes, cars, slang, mannerisms, characters, etc. of the time. Marlowe's wise-crack observations, while cliched, often had me laughing out loud;
2) While Chandler uses all of the stock characters (smooth but menacing nightclub owners, sultry crooners, wise-guy PIs, effete rich buffoons, etc.), he really makes most of them come alive with the dialogue and their interactions with each other. In other words, Chandler does a great job of taking what would seem to be card-board cut-out characters and breathing life into them;
3) Marlowe is able to resolve most conflicts with a couple glasses of whiskey and some wise-cracks, especially if a "dame" is involved. Today, it seems like most such conflicts would be resolved with a burst of AK-47 fire or worse. While no doubt highly idealized, Chandler's more innocent world is appealing to read about.
4) For what it is worth, I am a big fan of the Everyman's Library series (which this edition is part of)--they are attractive, have good heft, include a page-marker ribbon, etc.
Probably my only criticism of these novels is that the plots are a bit contrived, but I guess that is part of the fun.
TMR