Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0871137860, Hardcover)

Raymond Chandler was the undisputed master of detective fiction, the creator of the iconic private eye Philip Marlowe and the classic novels The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye, as well as the screenwriter for such groundbreaking film noirs as Double Indemnity. But though his books sold more than six million copies and brought him worldwide fame, he remained an intensely private man throughout his life. Because he lived a quiet existence beleaguered by his wife's long illness and his own struggles with alcoholism and his personal demons, Chandler's letters were his sole line of connection to the outside world of friends, fans, publishers, and other writers. The Raymond Chandler Papers brings together a new collection of his correspondence -- much of which has never previously been made public -- revealing all aspects of the great artist's powerful personality and broad intellectual curiosity. Featuring a selection of Chandler's previously unpublished early writings -- including a gripping piece about his combat experiences in World War I -- and an abandoned profile of the infamous mobster "Lucky" Luciano, The Raymond Chandler Papers is a must-have for all true fans and an important contribution toward understanding the life and work of the enigmatic man Evelyn Waugh called "the greatest living American novelist."