[Perdogg]

ping

[ClearCase_guy]

“I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun. I put them on and went out of the room.” ― Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely

[mrsmith]

Sure wish he’d written more.

[Talisker]

Vivian: Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. But I like to see them workout a little first, see if they're front runners or come from behind, find out what their whole card is, what makes them run.
Marlowe: Find out mine?
Vivian: I think so.
Marlowe: Go ahead.
Vivian: I'd say you don't like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a little lead, take a little breather in the backstretch, and then come home free.
Marlowe: You don't like to be rated yourself.
Vivian: I haven't met anyone yet that can do it. Any suggestions?
Marlowe: Well, I can't tell till I've seen you over a distance of ground. You've got a touch of class, but I don't know how, how far you can go.
Vivian: A lot depends on who's in the saddle.

- Bogart & Bacall, The Big Sleep

[raybbr]

I’ve read every book at least twice. Same with Ross McDonald, Rex Stout, Dashiell Hammett and Ellery Queen. Some of the best stories ever.

[TChad]

"The challenge is to write about real things magically." -- Raymond Chandler

Chandler wrote of the magic in his own work. It might seem to be an immodest self-evaluation, but I think it was simply accurate. He really was that good. Even now I can pick up one of his novels, and an hour later I am surprised to notice that I do not really live in pre-1960 Los Angeles. How does he do it?

If you want to get to know Raymond Chandler a little better, read the Frank MacShane collection of his letters: Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler. Chandler wrote letters to everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Ian Fleming to Howard Hunt (of Watergate fame) to Erle Stanley Gardner. He had a very long list of correspondents, and he holds forth on hundreds of subjects. Fascinating guy.

[Jeff Chandler]

I prefer Elmore Leonard, who never makes an appearance in his novels.

[what's up]

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