Little Sister by Raymond Chandler, 1/12 lettered copies rebound from the original 1949 sheets.  It contains a new introduction and a photo from one of the films.

An extract from the introduction . . .

The Philip Marlowe novels are innovative genre re-defining: deftly combining elements from Arthurian legend, romance, mystery and suspense. The story typ- ically is a twofold mystery narrative, written with a terrific sense of place, only bettered by the wry dialogue. He has an epigram for every occasion, whether in a bar or with the attorney. But his best dialogue is perhaps with the adulterous Guinivere in her guises as “woman to be rescued” or a smiling seductress – in these novels they turn out as schemers and murderesses, with names like Doloras and Carmen. They try to deceive Malowe but he is not daunted either by their personality or devious motives.

Critics are divided on whether the first four books are the canon or, indeed whether the next two – The Little Sister and The Long Good-Bye are superior. Those six novels are the cornerstone of Chandler’s craft: writing with invention, setting the scene, development of plot and character, the building of suspense, and allowing Marlowe time to cast his spell. In The Little Sister Marlowe is drawn into the movie business as he investigates a missing person case. He is down on his luck, drinks too much, yet he’s stubborn, refusing to give into the mob, and stays the course. Chandler give us a behind the scenes peak at Hollywood. He says, “California is the department store state. The most of everything and the best of nothing”. In the 1940’s Hollywood was quick to recognise the screen potential of Chandler’s work, but it was not until he received a screenwriting Academy Award for Double Indemnity (1944) that faithful adaptations appeared. Cary Grant was a shoe-in for Marlowe, but the part went to Dick Powell, and later to Humphrey Bogart opposite a young husky-voiced Lauren Bacall – perhaps the most iconic pairing in film noir. Marlowe was also played by George Montgomery and James Garner. In the 1970’s Elliott Gould starred in The Long Goodbye and Robert Mitchum in Farewell, My Lovely.