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444th out of 1,186 books
—
879 voters
The Simple Art of Murder
Prefaced by the famous Atlantic Monthly essay of the same name, in which he argues the virtues of the hard-boiled detective novel, this collection mostly drawn from stories he wrote for the pulps demonstrates Chandler's imaginative, entertaining facility with the form.
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
September 12th 1988
by Vintage
(first published 1939)
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“I merely say that all reading for pleasure is escape, whether it be Greek, mathematics, astronomy, Benedetto Croce, or The Diary of the Forgotten Man. To say otherwise is to be an intellectual snob, and a juvenile at the art of living.”
Four short stories of varying quality and an interesting, if grouchy, essay on the state of crime fiction in the 1930s.
The titular essay is a very interesting read, Chandler discusses the popular British (and British styled) crime writers of the day and their fai...more
Four short stories of varying quality and an interesting, if grouchy, essay on the state of crime fiction in the 1930s.
The titular essay is a very interesting read, Chandler discusses the popular British (and British styled) crime writers of the day and their fai...more
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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.
"Raymond Chandler is a master." --_The New York Times_
_
?[Chandler] wrote as if pain hurt and life mattered.? --The New Yorker
?Chandler se
...more
Eighty years later, Raymond Chandler is still one of the Masters of Crime Novels and the "hard-boiled detective" genre. This book is a series of short stories, written in the 1930's and 40's, prefaced by an essay he wrote on writing crime fiction and gives the book its title.
I've always been a fan of Chandler's "Phillip Marlowe" and of Dashiell Hammet's "Thin Man." I grew up reading these novels that were in my great grandfather's bookcase. He was an educator and high school principal/superinten...more
I've always been a fan of Chandler's "Phillip Marlowe" and of Dashiell Hammet's "Thin Man." I grew up reading these novels that were in my great grandfather's bookcase. He was an educator and high school principal/superinten...more
by Raymond Chandler, published in 1934.
If you are at all familiar with 1930's hard-boiled crime fiction, then you are acquainted with Raymond Chandler’s work already. If you are like me then you are not - at least not really.
This, “The Simple Art Of Murder”, is my first attempt at reading Raymond Chandler and I feel a mixed bag of emotions about it. It is an essay her wrote as well as short pieces of fiction. On the one side I was pretty entertained, and on another I felt like half the time the...more
If you are at all familiar with 1930's hard-boiled crime fiction, then you are acquainted with Raymond Chandler’s work already. If you are like me then you are not - at least not really.
This, “The Simple Art Of Murder”, is my first attempt at reading Raymond Chandler and I feel a mixed bag of emotions about it. It is an essay her wrote as well as short pieces of fiction. On the one side I was pretty entertained, and on another I felt like half the time the...more
In this essay & collection of shorts, it turns out the simple art of murder is not so simple after all.
Actually it is. But someone had to say that. The title was just begging for it.
I enjoyed the essay, which was Chandler's take on the detective formula and the current (in his time) glut of detective fiction, mostly because I agreed with him about Agatha Christie's books. They're entertaining, no doubt, but as logic puzzles, they fail. They cheat; Agatha's Poirot and his "little grey cells"...more
Actually it is. But someone had to say that. The title was just begging for it.
I enjoyed the essay, which was Chandler's take on the detective formula and the current (in his time) glut of detective fiction, mostly because I agreed with him about Agatha Christie's books. They're entertaining, no doubt, but as logic puzzles, they fail. They cheat; Agatha's Poirot and his "little grey cells"...more
"Raymond" and "Chandler". When taken separately these words have a myriad of uses and meanings, but when taken together in the strict ordering "Raymond Chandler" they only mean one thing: excellence in storytelling.
If you like any of his work whether in film or written form, then pick this up and get your little heart going pit-a-pat. Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but the man was a master of detective fiction, a craftsman who created characters and plots that are so good, so iconic, and s...more
If you like any of his work whether in film or written form, then pick this up and get your little heart going pit-a-pat. Am I exaggerating? Perhaps a little, but the man was a master of detective fiction, a craftsman who created characters and plots that are so good, so iconic, and s...more
2 likes · like · see review
Dec 08, 2009
Mike
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
snow queens, thugs, queer pushers, wiseguys, cops
This collection of short stories by Raymond Chandler is accompanied with an essay by the same on how murder mysteries should be put together. He felt that murders should take place in the everyday settings where people tend to die, and be performed by persons whose reason might resolve them to kill. He lived in an era prior to ours and its fashionable gangsterism; back then it was impolite to speak frankly of death – low class — yet by inserting death into an otherwise typical middle-class setti...more
Nice collection of short hard-boiled detective fiction, and fun for tracing the obvious line connecting Dashiell Hammett --> Raymond Chandler --> James Ellroy. These stories really show both the strengths and limitations of this kind of genre fiction - there's really no mystery about who the good and bad guys are, the characters are mostly all the same with minor variations from story to story, and the plot arcs are pretty repetitive too (let's put it this way: you won't go broke betting o...more
An excerpt from the short story "I'll Be Waiting".....
At one o'clock in the morning, Carl, the night porter, turned down the last of three table lamps in the main lobby of the Windermere Hotel. The blue carpet darkened a shade or two and the walls drew back into remoteness. The chairs filled with shadowy loungers. In the corners were memories like cobwebs.
Tony Reseck yawned. He put his head on one side and listened to the frail, twittery music from the radio room beyond a dim arch at the far s...more
At one o'clock in the morning, Carl, the night porter, turned down the last of three table lamps in the main lobby of the Windermere Hotel. The blue carpet darkened a shade or two and the walls drew back into remoteness. The chairs filled with shadowy loungers. In the corners were memories like cobwebs.
Tony Reseck yawned. He put his head on one side and listened to the frail, twittery music from the radio room beyond a dim arch at the far s...more
The book begins with Chandler's Atlantic Monthly essay about detective novels which is followed by eight short stories. In the essay, he discussed the difficulty in creating a good detective story given that they tend to be about murder and given that there are so many such stories out there. They have to draw you in to an unfortunate situation and offer enough facts without error to keep you interested. He discussed Hammett as the master of this because of the style he introduced and his carefu...more
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This book starts with an essay that is simultaneously a viable piece of literary criticism and a hatchet job on Agatha Christey/Angela Lansbury-style detective stories. It is an excellent essay, simultaneously literate and market-aware.
This is followed by four long short stories. And here's the thing, they don't all have the same main character and they aren't all in the first person. We all love Phil, but it's nice to see Chandler using other characters. Most interesting in the collection is t...more
This is followed by four long short stories. And here's the thing, they don't all have the same main character and they aren't all in the first person. We all love Phil, but it's nice to see Chandler using other characters. Most interesting in the collection is t...more
I'll admit that I tend to buy books I'm pretty sure I'll like. The Simple Art of Murder was not one of those books. It was one I bought pretty impulsively. I've never made it through a "Mystery/Thriller" before so I thought I'd try a classic of the genre. Admittedly, I didn't have high hopes from the beginning, but Chandler spins several great stories in this anthology. He has a very realistic, and much of the time minimalistic, style to his writing, which suits this genre. He leaves every scena...more
2.5 stars
These are detective short stories that were originally published separately in magazines in the 1930s and 1940s. There is also one essay written by the author, with the same title as the book.
I should know by now not to pick short stories, unless I'm more certain I'll be interested in the topic. I think I've discovered why I'm not a big short story fan, though – or one reason why, anyway. If I lose interest and my mind wanders at any point, I miss too much of the story. I thought the e...more
These are detective short stories that were originally published separately in magazines in the 1930s and 1940s. There is also one essay written by the author, with the same title as the book.
I should know by now not to pick short stories, unless I'm more certain I'll be interested in the topic. I think I've discovered why I'm not a big short story fan, though – or one reason why, anyway. If I lose interest and my mind wanders at any point, I miss too much of the story. I thought the e...more
Raymond chandler as you know is a master of the detective crime novel. This collection of shorts is no exception. However it is the collection nature which mars the books' magic- only reason it isn't 5 stars.
a few stories are stand outs (Nevada Gas, Pearls Are a Nuisance,Spanish Blood,The King in Yellow,Guns at Cyrano's) a few characters don't work. Chandler is Philip Marlowe, speaking in another voice just isn't the same believability, its as if these detectives are sketches of who is to be. Th...more
a few stories are stand outs (Nevada Gas, Pearls Are a Nuisance,Spanish Blood,The King in Yellow,Guns at Cyrano's) a few characters don't work. Chandler is Philip Marlowe, speaking in another voice just isn't the same believability, its as if these detectives are sketches of who is to be. Th...more
The only Raymond Chandler I'd read before this book was his inexplicably famous "The Big Sleep," which I thought was a load of toss. Fortunately, apart from the essay that gives this collection its name, some of this book isn't as awful as "The Big Sleep," though some of it is. High body counts and silly contrivances abound.
Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder" ought to be called, "why my mystery stories are better than everyone else's, especially those with the audacity to outsell me." It...more
Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder" ought to be called, "why my mystery stories are better than everyone else's, especially those with the audacity to outsell me." It...more
This isn't a bad collection of hard-boiled short stories but it's not a terribly interesting one either. While each tale stars a different protagonist, none of them Chandler's signature Philip Marlowe, they all might as well be the same character. Street smart, sharp tongued, tougher than anyone else in the room, yet all possessing a heart of gold beneath their hard-boiled exterior. The other characters who appear in these shorts are similarly stock, and the narratives themselves pretty formula....more
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I feel like without Marlowe this thing dragged a bit. It was nice to have stories coming from other perspectives, but when I don't have this one character I've invested in, it starts to reveal the parts of this that are not actually Marlowe-dependent quirks but are rather necessities for the denouement. There's a lot of needless confrontation of murderers, not enough calling the cops and washing one's hands. This feels like a deep, dark hole. I'm taking a Chandler break before the last couple.
Chandler's opening essay defending the merits of detective fiction is alright but pretty much boils down to the simple thesis that you need to be a student of human nature to write real crime stories. A truism, but no revelation. The rest of the stories are taken from the pulp magazines he used to write for and are excellent, but not quite as immaculate as his novels. Now that I think I've read all of Chandler that's in print I gotta say this guy may be my favorite author of all time.
I enjoyed this, particularly the essay: Chandler doesn't really spare anyone, but I rather like that.
On the other hand, I didn't feel blown away by the prose, in this one. Maybe it's that the short stories aren't Chandler's form, maybe it's just that I'm bundled up in the cognitive cotton wool of a cold and the cough suppressants. There's just something same-y about them, and the freshness and sharpness of the prose from, say, The Big Sleep, doesn't seem quite as much in evidence.
On the other hand, I didn't feel blown away by the prose, in this one. Maybe it's that the short stories aren't Chandler's form, maybe it's just that I'm bundled up in the cognitive cotton wool of a cold and the cough suppressants. There's just something same-y about them, and the freshness and sharpness of the prose from, say, The Big Sleep, doesn't seem quite as much in evidence.
This is the bigger, better Chandler short story collection. Not only does it contain more stories than Trouble is My Business, the contents reflect an author who is starting to come into his writing style. Readers of his novels will find a Philip Marlowe far more in keeping with the one they know and expect. While much of the content is good, Chandler is clearly better at writing novels. For anyone but a true fan I recommend sticking to the novels.
The title derives from an essay on detective wri...more
The title derives from an essay on detective wri...more
Ahhh, the essay that started it all! I wish I could give this TEN stars! This was the first piece I'd ever read by Chandler, and truly it is an amazing bit of literature. At first, you will think that he's full of himself by throwing-down all the traditional, classic mystery writers -- but he justifies it all, particularly in the end. And then you meet who will become Philip Marlowe. A MUST READ!
Unlike many, I was absolutely delighted by the title essay of this collection; unfortunately, thus far the rest of the stories have yet to follow suit, and it is ironic that I could identify the murderer immediately after their initial appearance in "Spanish Blood" after the entire previous essay was spent railing against the formulaic. This is, I suppose, simply a good example of how an author's prejudices can shoot holes in their talent. Most of the other stories fell into the same category, e...more
You remember all those Jimi Hendrix albums that came out after he was dead. You know the ones - outtakes, b-sides, and bootlegs Hendrix would never have let on an album if he'd been alive. Well, yeah. that's what The Simple Art of Murder feels like. Stuff Raymond Chandler wrote, but wasn't his best shit, and really he'd probably just like to pretend didn't exist.
Chandler wasn't the most cheerful of men if this essay is anything to go by, and he was rather dismissive of every other writer trying to make their way in the genre of crime fiction. However, he raised an awful lot of valid points within just a few paragraphs, and one certainly has to admire the quality of his writing.
The Mystery Writer's Mystery Writer begins this collection of noir stories with an essay on the craft of writing murder. Even if you aren't an aspiring writer it is worth a read because it is such a fascinating look into the man and his process. And need I say that the short stories that follow are to die for? -- Aimee F.
Jan 22, 2013
joyce
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All lovers of detective mysteries
Shelves:
mystery
Aside from the fact that someone in each story is six foot two or three, I enjoyed this collection of what were originally pulp magazine stories. Although many share just about the same theme, it's Chandler's writing that's spinning the world and I find it an entertaining world. Makes ya wanna say "PULP FICTION, YEAH!
I wanted to pick up a Raymond Chandler book because I love those Film Noir detective movies, but I'd never read any of the source material. This was a great introduction.
It's a collection of short stories. For me, all the men were Humphrey Bogart and all the women were Lauren Bacall. This was a great book.
It's a collection of short stories. For me, all the men were Humphrey Bogart and all the women were Lauren Bacall. This was a great book.
Mar 17, 2008
tENTATIVELY, cONVENIENCE
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries
Chandler's in my top 3 or 4 crime fiction authors. Who the other 2 or 3 are will become obvious as I continue thru the mysteries that I've read (not that I expect anyone to care!). This is a collection of short stories & I prefer novels - hence the "3". Chandler's one of the few mystery writers to really impress me w/ his prose, w/ his turns of phrase. Sometimes the writing jogs my mind much more than pulp usually does. The writing gets outside of clichés w/ stunning placement of slang &...more
This collection was pretty darn good. The title essay was alright, not very profound and mostly just a rant about how crappy most mystery writers are. The stories themselves were pretty good, less contemplative and faster paced then Chandler's books with more action and violence. It's hard to write a good short mystery without it turning into a crime story, but Chandler manages this without trouble. The writing is always high quality, but sometimes these stories felt repetitive- a few too many h...more
I picked this up for a trip to Los Angeles. I didn't like it as much as Chandler's novels, but I enjoyed reading about a hunting cabin in Toluca Lake just before visiting a friend's townhouse there.
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Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.
In 1932, at age forty-four, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the 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...more
More about Raymond Chandler...
In 1932, at age forty-four, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the 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...more
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“In everything that can be called art there is a quality of redemption. It may be pure tragedy, if it is high tragedy, and it may be pity and irony, and it may be the raucous laughter of the strong man. But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.
The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor -- by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; I think he might seduce a duchess and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin; if he is a man of honor in one thing, he is that in all things.
He is a relatively poor man, or he would not be a detective at all. He is a common man or he could not go among common people. He has a sense of character, or he would not know his job. He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him. He talks as the man of his age talks -- that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness.
The story is the man's adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. He has a range of awareness that startles you, but it belongs to him by right, because it belongs to the world he lives in. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in. ”
—
44 people liked it
The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor -- by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; I think he might seduce a duchess and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin; if he is a man of honor in one thing, he is that in all things.
He is a relatively poor man, or he would not be a detective at all. He is a common man or he could not go among common people. He has a sense of character, or he would not know his job. He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him. He talks as the man of his age talks -- that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness.
The story is the man's adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. He has a range of awareness that startles you, but it belongs to him by right, because it belongs to the world he lives in. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in. ”
“I merely say that all reading for pleasure is escape, whether it be Greek, mathematics, astronomy, Benedetto Croce, or The Diary of the Forgotten Man. To say otherwise is to be an intellectual snob, and a juvenile at the art of living.”
—
37 people liked it
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