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Gently used with light wear on the cover and corners. May have some writing or highlighting. Dust jacket or extras might be missing. May be ex-library copy. Ships direct from Amazon! Gently used with light wear on the cover and corners. May have some writing or highlighting. Dust jacket or extras might be missing. May be ex-library copy. Ships direct from Amazon! See less
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The Big Sleep (A Philip Marlowe Novel) Paperback – July 12, 1988

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,028 ratings

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The renowned novel from the crime fiction master, with the "quintessential urban private eye" (Los Angeles Times), Philip Marlowe. • Featuring the iconic character that inspired the film Marlowe, starring Liam Neeson.

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

A dying millionaire hires private eye Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.

“Chandler seems to have created the culminating American hero: wised up, hopeful, thoughtful, adventurous, sentimental, cynical and rebellious.” —
The New York Times Book Review
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"His thin, claw-like hands were folded loosely on the rug, purple-nailed. A few locks of dry white hair clung to his scalp, like wild flowers fighting for life on a bare rock." Published in 1939, when Raymond Chandler was 50, this is the first of the Philip Marlowe novels. Its bursts of sex, violence, and explosively direct prose changed detective fiction forever. "She was trouble. She was tall and rangy and strong-looking. Her hair was black and wiry and parted in the middle. She had a good mouth and a good chin. There was a sulky droop to her lips and the lower lip was full."

From Library Journal

Chandler is not only the best writer of hardboiled PI stories, he's one of the 20th century's top scribes, period. His full canon of novels and short stories is reprinted in trade paper featuring uniform covers in Black Lizard's signature style. A handsome set for a reasonable price.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Crime/Black Lizard; Reprint edition (July 12, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 231 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394758285
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394758282
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 660L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 0.59 x 7.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,028 ratings

About the author

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Raymond Chandler
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Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was a British-American novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at age forty-four, Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime (an eighth, in progress at the time of his death, was completed by Robert B. Parker). All but Playback have been made into motion pictures, some several times. In the year before he died, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. He died on March 26, 1959, in La Jolla, California.

Chandler had an immense stylistic influence on American popular literature. He is considered by many to be a founder, along with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and other Black Mask writers, of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction. His protagonist, Philip Marlowe, along with Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered by some to be synonymous with "private detective," both having been played on screen by Humphrey Bogart, whom many considered to be the quintessential Marlowe.

Some of Chandler's novels are considered important literary works, and three are often considered masterpieces: Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The Little Sister (1949), and The Long Goodbye (1953). The Long Goodbye was praised in an anthology of American crime stories as "arguably the first book since Hammett's The Glass Key, published more than twenty years earlier, to qualify as a serious and significant mainstream novel that just happened to possess elements of mystery".

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
10,028 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They describe it as a classic mystery novel with elegant prose and well-developed characters. The dialogue is sharp and descriptive, keeping readers hooked. Readers appreciate the unique and distinctive 1940s setting. Overall, customers consider the book a solid mystery classic that fans of the genre should read.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

264 customers mention "Readability"235 positive29 negative

Customers enjoy the book's plot and find it engaging. They describe it as a great read with a believable storyline. Readers appreciate the short length and find the book entertaining.

"...Also, while Bogart was very entertaining, he's fairly different from what you'd picture reading the book...." Read more

"...There's much more I could mention, pro and con, the well developed slowly evolving plot, the relationships and attitudes among the women and men,..." Read more

"...said, I enjoyed some aspects of it: the literary flourishes, the narrative tension, the obsession with other people’s thumbs." Read more

"...All in all, it's simply a fantastic book! I think even those who don't like mysteries would enjoy it because of its prose alone...." Read more

136 customers mention "Mystery novel"110 positive26 negative

Customers enjoy the mystery novel. They find it a classic of detective fiction, with an intricate plot and great characters. Many consider it a must-read for mystery fans. However, some readers feel it's an old-fashioned mystery that reads like something out of print.

"...That said, I enjoyed some aspects of it: the literary flourishes, the narrative tension, the obsession with other people’s thumbs." Read more

"This book is great! Reading it felt like watching a classic film noir masterpiece...." Read more

"...Quite a visual novel, a film noir with pages." Read more

"Wonderfully convoluted, keeps you guessing until the end. Marlowe is as hardboiled and cynical as you can imagine. Not art but fun...." Read more

127 customers mention "Writing style"111 positive16 negative

Customers praise the writing style. They find it elegant and well-done, with a fascinating language and clear opening lines. The book moves quickly with minimal use of adjectives, making it easy to read and engaging. Readers praise the author's skillful use of language that paints vivid pictures.

"...This is a very easy book to recommend to anyone who is either curious about trying Chandler's work or a fan who hasn't gotten around to this..." Read more

"...The similes and metaphors are well spaced through-out from beginning to end. Appearing a bit more frequently during times of tension or mystery...." Read more

"...The slanguage is fascinating. If you've never read anything like this before, you're sure to learn a whole bunch of new slang...." Read more

"The book reads like a black and white mystery film from the fifties. Quite a visual novel, a film noir with pages." Read more

71 customers mention "Character development"64 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and intricate plot. They find the character of Phil Marlowe engaging, and the book rich in atmosphere and character development. The author develops a plot with many twists and turns among multiple interesting characters. However, some readers need to pay attention to keep the characters straight.

"...Nonetheless, the writing is so sharp, and the character of Phil Marlowe so engaging, that I found I didn't mind at all!..." Read more

"...Rich in atmosphere and character, The Big Sleep is an unforgettable introduction to Chandler's work...." Read more

"...in the tough-guy vernacular of the time (the 1940s), and the characters were engaging...." Read more

"...it was a fun mystery story with lots of unexpected turns and wild characters...." Read more

62 customers mention "Dialogue quality"58 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the dialogue and prose of the book. They find the writing descriptive and poetic, with a way with words that keeps them enthralled. Readers also mention the characters are memorable, with a clever and witty sleuth.

"...are obviously not developed as thoroughly, but most get enough nuance in how they speak and carry themselves that you don't feel that they're..." Read more

"...about Raymond Chandler's writing: sentence variation and a wry sense of self humor...." Read more

"...I liked to savor his words. Raymond Chandler is a descriptive genius. Now there comes a problem too...." Read more

"...It wasn't a game for knights." If that isn't some great noir writing, I don't know what is!..." Read more

55 customers mention "Classic content"47 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the classic content. They find the genre unique and distinct of its time. The book has a 1940s look and feels like watching a classic film noir masterpiece.

"This is a classic…Don’t waste time reading my review, read this book instead…you will thank me later for doing so." Read more

"...I still give it 3-stars for the overall prose, descriptions of 1940s Los Angeles, and the fact it is a considered a classic novel -- only with a..." Read more

"A classic when it was written, and still a classic!..." Read more

"...I really enjoyed reading this one. It's a classic." Read more

27 customers mention "Sturdiness"20 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the book's sturdiness. They mention it has a 1940s look, reads quickly without breaks, and is in excellent condition. The characters are described as tough, with smart dialogue and well-developed characters. While some customers mention the cover has been ripped, most find the book looks brand new and arrived before expected.

"...steady paced reader could finish this book in less than 7 hours, without any breaks...." Read more

"...I felt it held up the test of time...." Read more

"...Hardboiled. High drama. Plot heavy. Tough guys and troubled dames...." Read more

"...Marlowe here is tough. He's nobody's patsy. And he's not the bumbling joker so many PIs in the fifties became. So many great lines here...." Read more

35 customers mention "Pacing"23 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it well-paced and a quick read, while others feel the plot stalls and lacks momentum.

"...I found it a true page turner and completed it in one day...." Read more

"...I’d call it a private d story but the AI is too st*pid to know what that means. Sigh. Worthy read." Read more

"...I have to admit that his craft was interesting because he normally balanced it with interesting dialog with a lot of sarcasm. &#..." Read more

"...but the writing has crisp dialogue and the descriptions by the incorruptible Marlow make it a classic." Read more

A classic, modern enough for the 21st century
5 out of 5 stars
A classic, modern enough for the 21st century
Wow, didn't realize there were so many paper editions and evidently even a dramatized digital version. For clarity, and looking inside my copy, this review is for a paper First Vintage/Black Lizard Edition, August 1992. I couldn't find a matching cover to the couple dozen choices under the paperback versions, so I chose to post my review here.I did read a few 1 and 2 star reviews after I'd finished the book, and I can understand someone not caring for a particular style, but had a hard time, without concrete examples, imagining what was boring or outdated (other than a few terms: "buzzer pinned to the flap" - "slaty eyes" - "a six mover"). Nothing more than I find reading British books (I'm in Texas), and the Kindle app usually can get me a definition for the cultural variances pretty easily. And that might be a good reason to opt for a digital version, though I personally would want to avoid any "dramatized" versions the reviews bring up. I feel I probably read the author's original intent in my edition.The descriptive atmosphere was sparing but, I thought, extremely effectively used. "Seaward a few gulls wheeled and swooped over something in the surf and far out a white yacht looked as if it was hanging in the sky." - "A nasty building. A building in which the smell of stale cigar butts would be the cleanest odor."Which brings me to two other things I really liked about Raymond Chandler's writing: sentence variation and a wry sense of self humor.I had been under the mistaken impression that Chandler mostly or even only used short sentences. In fact his has quite a variety, including the use of complex compound sentences followed by short fragments. The effect is stimulating and powerful:"I came out at a service station glaring with wasted light, where a bored attendant in a white cap and a dark blue windbreaker sat hunched on a stool, inside the steamed glass, reading a paper. I started in, then kept going. I was as wet as I could get already. And on a night like that you can grow a beard waiting for a taxi. And taxi drivers remember."The humor, I felt, was subtle. Enjoyed it tremendously.There's much more I could mention, pro and con, the well developed slowly evolving plot, the relationships and attitudes among the women and men, and lack of hispanics, blacks, or other ethnic groups (descriptive of the times) - but I'll end with Raymond's figurative use of language.I think the first contemporary author I became acutely aware of in their use of metaphors and similes was James Patterson in Zoo. In my review of Zoo, I mentioned how well they worked, most of the time, but occasionally seemed to veer off as not fitting the tone of the passage.I don't feel this is the case at all in The Big Sleep. The similes and metaphors are well spaced through-out from beginning to end. Appearing a bit more frequently during times of tension or mystery. And never, to my reading, out of place or jarring from the story:"Another man sat at the corner of the desk in a blue leather chair, a cold-eyed hatchet-faced man, as lean as a rake and as hard as the manager of a loan office." - "I pushed a flat tin of cigarettes at him. His small neat fingers speared one like a trout taking the fly." - "Her very blue eyes flashed so sharply that I could almost see the sweep of their glance, like the sweep of sword."For me, this is top flight quality writing that entertains.About as pure a 5 Star as I can give.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2009
    A dying millionaire hires Private Detective Philip Marlowe to take care of a situation involving his youngest of two daughters. It seems that she has either been losing a bit too much in an illegal casino or is the victim of blackmail. Either way, Marlowe's job is to make the trouble go away. But this doesn't even scratch the surface of what's waiting for him as he begins to investigate. Before long, the same daughter is present at the scene of a murder, a pornography ring is part of the puzzle, as well as the usual collection of cutthroats and tough guys. Meanwhile, the older daughter's husband, a former gun-runner, has run off and absolutely everyone assumes Marlowe was hired to find him.

    The Big Sleep, written in 1939, introduced Philip Marlowe to the world and has been entertaining readers ever since. When writing the snappy patter associated with this type of detective fiction, it's a tricky balancing act to make it funny and colorful without degenerating into a self-parody. Chandler not only accomplishes this, he makes it look easy. The dialog and narration deliver plenty of chuckles and offer many a well turned phrase, but are also polished to silky smooth perfection. The plot is a bit convoluted, but this is a detective story after all. The story has to have layers for the hero to keep peeling back and the main thing is that they're all interesting enough to keep the reader wanting to see what happens next.

    While I don't think anyone would call this novel one of the great character studies in American literature, it's still safe to say that this is not a cast of two dimensional cardboard cutouts either. Marlowe, in particular, is both well developed and likeable. Lesser characters are obviously not developed as thoroughly, but most get enough nuance in how they speak and carry themselves that you don't feel that they're generic in any way.

    For those who have seen the movie, I should caution that the book is quite different in many ways. A lot of the original story goes into territory that was strictly off limits in the Hollywood of that era. Also, while Bogart was very entertaining, he's fairly different from what you'd picture reading the book. A young James Garner would probably be closer to the character I picture while reading the novel (I know that Garner would have been too young to be in the movie, that's not the point). The main thing to remember is that however much you might have liked the film, reading the book will be a different experience and you'll need to accept that going in.

    The Big Sleep is my first experience reading Raymond Chandler. I found it a true page turner and completed it in one day. I'll definitely buy more of his work and consider this one of the best books I've read in some time. This is a very easy book to recommend to anyone who is either curious about trying Chandler's work or a fan who hasn't gotten around to this installment just yet.
    8 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2024
    But poor execution of the ebook format. Maybe I am wrong and Okay really was spelled Okey in the original and the many other obvious mistakes in spelling and minor words being replaced by the wrong words were also in the original text, but I don’t think so. At times it looked like it was transcribed by someone with limited English skills. There is no title page or introduction showing when the book was written. Still very readable, I just think Amazon should do better.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015
    Wow, didn't realize there were so many paper editions and evidently even a dramatized digital version. For clarity, and looking inside my copy, this review is for a paper First Vintage/Black Lizard Edition, August 1992. I couldn't find a matching cover to the couple dozen choices under the paperback versions, so I chose to post my review here.

    I did read a few 1 and 2 star reviews after I'd finished the book, and I can understand someone not caring for a particular style, but had a hard time, without concrete examples, imagining what was boring or outdated (other than a few terms: "buzzer pinned to the flap" - "slaty eyes" - "a six mover"). Nothing more than I find reading British books (I'm in Texas), and the Kindle app usually can get me a definition for the cultural variances pretty easily. And that might be a good reason to opt for a digital version, though I personally would want to avoid any "dramatized" versions the reviews bring up. I feel I probably read the author's original intent in my edition.

    The descriptive atmosphere was sparing but, I thought, extremely effectively used. "Seaward a few gulls wheeled and swooped over something in the surf and far out a white yacht looked as if it was hanging in the sky." - "A nasty building. A building in which the smell of stale cigar butts would be the cleanest odor."

    Which brings me to two other things I really liked about Raymond Chandler's writing: sentence variation and a wry sense of self humor.

    I had been under the mistaken impression that Chandler mostly or even only used short sentences. In fact his has quite a variety, including the use of complex compound sentences followed by short fragments. The effect is stimulating and powerful:

    "I came out at a service station glaring with wasted light, where a bored attendant in a white cap and a dark blue windbreaker sat hunched on a stool, inside the steamed glass, reading a paper. I started in, then kept going. I was as wet as I could get already. And on a night like that you can grow a beard waiting for a taxi. And taxi drivers remember."

    The humor, I felt, was subtle. Enjoyed it tremendously.

    There's much more I could mention, pro and con, the well developed slowly evolving plot, the relationships and attitudes among the women and men, and lack of hispanics, blacks, or other ethnic groups (descriptive of the times) - but I'll end with Raymond's figurative use of language.

    I think the first contemporary author I became acutely aware of in their use of metaphors and similes was James Patterson in Zoo. In my review of Zoo, I mentioned how well they worked, most of the time, but occasionally seemed to veer off as not fitting the tone of the passage.

    I don't feel this is the case at all in The Big Sleep. The similes and metaphors are well spaced through-out from beginning to end. Appearing a bit more frequently during times of tension or mystery. And never, to my reading, out of place or jarring from the story:

    "Another man sat at the corner of the desk in a blue leather chair, a cold-eyed hatchet-faced man, as lean as a rake and as hard as the manager of a loan office." - "I pushed a flat tin of cigarettes at him. His small neat fingers speared one like a trout taking the fly." - "Her very blue eyes flashed so sharply that I could almost see the sweep of their glance, like the sweep of sword."

    For me, this is top flight quality writing that entertains.

    About as pure a 5 Star as I can give.
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic, modern enough for the 21st century
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015
    Wow, didn't realize there were so many paper editions and evidently even a dramatized digital version. For clarity, and looking inside my copy, this review is for a paper First Vintage/Black Lizard Edition, August 1992. I couldn't find a matching cover to the couple dozen choices under the paperback versions, so I chose to post my review here.

    I did read a few 1 and 2 star reviews after I'd finished the book, and I can understand someone not caring for a particular style, but had a hard time, without concrete examples, imagining what was boring or outdated (other than a few terms: "buzzer pinned to the flap" - "slaty eyes" - "a six mover"). Nothing more than I find reading British books (I'm in Texas), and the Kindle app usually can get me a definition for the cultural variances pretty easily. And that might be a good reason to opt for a digital version, though I personally would want to avoid any "dramatized" versions the reviews bring up. I feel I probably read the author's original intent in my edition.

    The descriptive atmosphere was sparing but, I thought, extremely effectively used. "Seaward a few gulls wheeled and swooped over something in the surf and far out a white yacht looked as if it was hanging in the sky." - "A nasty building. A building in which the smell of stale cigar butts would be the cleanest odor."

    Which brings me to two other things I really liked about Raymond Chandler's writing: sentence variation and a wry sense of self humor.

    I had been under the mistaken impression that Chandler mostly or even only used short sentences. In fact his has quite a variety, including the use of complex compound sentences followed by short fragments. The effect is stimulating and powerful:

    "I came out at a service station glaring with wasted light, where a bored attendant in a white cap and a dark blue windbreaker sat hunched on a stool, inside the steamed glass, reading a paper. I started in, then kept going. I was as wet as I could get already. And on a night like that you can grow a beard waiting for a taxi. And taxi drivers remember."

    The humor, I felt, was subtle. Enjoyed it tremendously.

    There's much more I could mention, pro and con, the well developed slowly evolving plot, the relationships and attitudes among the women and men, and lack of hispanics, blacks, or other ethnic groups (descriptive of the times) - but I'll end with Raymond's figurative use of language.

    I think the first contemporary author I became acutely aware of in their use of metaphors and similes was James Patterson in Zoo. In my review of Zoo, I mentioned how well they worked, most of the time, but occasionally seemed to veer off as not fitting the tone of the passage.

    I don't feel this is the case at all in The Big Sleep. The similes and metaphors are well spaced through-out from beginning to end. Appearing a bit more frequently during times of tension or mystery. And never, to my reading, out of place or jarring from the story:

    "Another man sat at the corner of the desk in a blue leather chair, a cold-eyed hatchet-faced man, as lean as a rake and as hard as the manager of a loan office." - "I pushed a flat tin of cigarettes at him. His small neat fingers speared one like a trout taking the fly." - "Her very blue eyes flashed so sharply that I could almost see the sweep of their glance, like the sweep of sword."

    For me, this is top flight quality writing that entertains.

    About as pure a 5 Star as I can give.
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    Customer image
    29 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2024
    I decided to read The Big Sleep because one of the books I’m writing is a thriller. Generally speaking, this book is not for me. Hardboiled. High drama. Plot heavy. Tough guys and troubled dames. That said, I enjoyed some aspects of it: the literary flourishes, the narrative tension, the obsession with other people’s thumbs.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Murder-Mystery
    Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2024
    Well written and deserves to be ranked with the best crime novels of all time. A riveting and suspenseful story about the strange daughters of a man that cannot grasp how badly his spoiled daughters can behave and sink into the lowest depths of american graft and gambling. Phil Marlowe is the main character and only through his efforts can this family be rescued from total destruction. Watch out for the surprising and stunning conclusion!
  • Mario Manus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what i expected
    Reviewed in Germany on June 27, 2024
    The product looks perfect
  • Awen APS, SL
    5.0 out of 5 stars Todo un clásico
    Reviewed in Spain on February 25, 2018
    No hay mucho que objetar, tiene todo lo que esperas de un clásico. Lo recomiendo para cualquier persona que le gusta la novela negra.
  • Emily
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
    Reviewed in Australia on December 15, 2019
    A classic in its genre, easy read can be finished in a sitting.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Italy on October 25, 2016
    Great book, most of all because of the great dialogues and characters.
    Even if it was written more than 80 years ago, it's still actual.