The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler || First British Edition 1950

This first British edition of The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1950.

The Details:
In good/fair condition. Considerable foxing to the cut ends and endpages. A slight tear on front endpage. Mild tanning. Text block clear. Dust jacket in good condition. Minimal shelfwear. Some purple markings on the back cover.


The Story:
In The Simple Art of Murder, which was prefaced by the famous Atlantic Monthly essay of the same name, noir master Raymond Chandler argues the virtues of the hard-boiled detective novel, and this collection, mostly drawn from stories he wrote for the pulps, demonstrates Chandler's imaginative, entertaining facility with the form. Included are the classic stories "Spanish Blood," Pearls Are a Nuisance," and "Guns at Cyrano's," among others. (amazon)

The Author:
Chandler had an immense stylistic influence on American popular literature, and 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. (goodreads)