Raymond Chandler: The Library of America Edition

Excellent collection .. Just as described!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My all time favorite mystery writer and detective hero.

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.

Superb; got from library when I was at school. Now have my own.

Seller is trustworthy and the edition is superior

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.

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.

Grâce à ces volumes on dispose à peu de frais et sans traduction tronquée de l'oeuvre d'un des plus grands auteurs de policiers, un écrivain tout simplement. A un prix très raisonnable dans un beau coffret. Chandler a failli avoir sa Pléiade en France, au lieu de cela on aura Jean d'Ormesson. Consolons-nous avec ces deux merveilleux volumes.