Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life [Hardcover]

Raymond Chandler (Author), Marty Asher (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Raymond Chandler’s classic gumshoe Philip Marlowe is the quintessential American detective. His effortless masculinity, smoldering sexuality, and verbal fleetness remain the embodiment of cool. He liked liquor, women, and working alone. And, in a world defined by betrayal, mistrust, and double-dealing, Marlowe’s rough exterior belies an unshakable code of honor. Taken together, his observations and witticisms represent some of the most scathing and brilliant writing in crime fiction, and coalesce into a wonderfully alluring worldview: a vision of unswerving righteousness, accountability, and stylish conduct in a sea of turpitude and injustice.

Philip Marlowe’s Guide to Life is an elegant, A–Z compendium of Marlowe’s ever-more-relevant observations about crime, women, work, sex, good, evil, and life in the big city. Chandler’s genius transcended genre; though he seemed to single-handedly invent noir, his work ventured beyond it into an idiom all its own, and he left behind a legacy of grit and disarming beauty. Here is a brilliant and loving tribute to that legacy, sure to delight fans old and new.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Raymond Chandler was the master practitioner of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Born in Chicago, he spent most of his boyhood and youth in England. He began writing fiction at the age of forty-five, and eventually published seven novels and one collection of stories. He died in La Jolla, California, on March 26, 1959.

Martin Asher is Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Vintage/Anchor Books. He divides his time between Connecticut and New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400041589
• ISBN-13: 978-1400041589
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stocking Stuffer, November 26, 2005

By 

Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life (Hardcover)

For those lovers of hard boiled fiction, this slight book lets you flip through some of the best lines and passages from Chandler's novels. Easier than going back to your underlined copies. While a little pricey , the truth is worth it---on marriage:"For two people in a hundred,it's worth it."; on Hollywood:"In Hollywoord,anything can happen, anything at all."; on night:"It was night.The world outside the windows was a black world."
And for those you have yet to bite into the pleasure,this is a fine introduction.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Genuine Article', March 29, 2007

By 

Merlin (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life (Hardcover)

Excellent, excellent book for 1940's one-liners and wise-guy cracks - West Coast wise guy, that is. This collection of Philip Marlowe quips and punch lines is THE authority on America's original 20th Century hard-boiled, lone-wolf goodguy from L.A. An excellent idea for a gift, great conversation piece at a cocktail party. Lot's of chuckles.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MIGHTY IS THE PROSE, December 6, 2009

By 

Tom Without Pity (A Major Midwestern Metropolis) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life (Hardcover)

This is a short review for a small sized hardcover book entitled "Philip Marlowe's
Guide to Life," and what a life you will live if you heed the writngs of Raymond Chandler as voiced by his fictional detective, Philip Marlowe.

For example On Blondes: "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window." Farewell My Lovely.

On Booze: "I don't drink. The more I see of people who do the more glad I am that I don't." The Long Goodbye.

On Faces: "It was a face that had nothing to fear. Everything had been done to it that anybody could think of." Farewell My Lovely.

On Luxury Cars: "It moved away from the curb with as much noise as a bill makes in a wallet." Trouble Is My Business.

By now you get the idea, Marlowe was not only well written and a fine detective, he was also quite the sage. If you haven't read Raymond Chandler's novels you really should indulge yourself and enjoy hours of pleasure. But getting this little book will give you a fair sampling of that pleasure as well, maybe not hours but certainly moments.

I have rated this tiny tome four stars mainly because I think it really should have been fifteen or twenty pages longer, to say the least. Or maybe a couple of inches taller & wider. In other words I think there should be more of it, especially considering what is being asked for this little book.

By the way, I have read my copy much more than just once or twice. No matter the size of the container, vintage Chandler is usually just right and quite tasty.