Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep

originally published:
New York : Alfred A. Knopf
1939

We offered this unrestored copy of the first edition in our Catalog 89.

awards:

  • First Book(1939)
  • Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone(1939)
  • Time Magazine 100 Novels(1939)

reference info

bio notes:
born: 7/23/1888
died: 3/26/1959
born as: Raymond Thornton Chandler
nationality: USA

American author of detective fiction, creator of the private eye Philip Marlowe. Set in the Los Angeles area, Chandler's novels and short stories are esteemed (especially by European critics) as outstanding examples of regional writing. - Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature

Collecting tips:

Chandler's first four novels in fine jackets The Big Sleep (1939), Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The High Window (1942), and The Lady in the Lake (1943), are the book collecting equivalent of big game. However, while in the past, I would have said that a collector's patience might be rewarded, as nice copies would occasionally surface (even though they would command a premium), increasingly (or I guess decreasingly) we have either not been seeing jacketed copies at all, or have seen them in compromised condition. This has had the effect of elevating copies of his later works, which can occasionally be found, such The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye, and Killer in the Rain into hot commodities, and I suspect this trend will continue.

Email us to request a printed copy of our catalog of Raymond Chandler Rare Books and First Editions (or download it via the link as a 1.37 MB pdf file).

We also offer a comprehensive Raymond Chandler Bibliography and Price Guide.