Books

Knopf, 1939. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. A near fine first edition (stated First Edition on the copyright page) in a very good dust jacket with some small closed tears. Housed in a custom-made collector's slipcase. With the original price of $2.00 still on the front flap.

The Big Sleep is a hardboiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, the first in his acclaimed series about detective Philip Marlowe. The story is set in Los Angeles and follows Marlowe as he investigates a complex case involving blackmail, mystery, and murder, which begins with a wealthy general who is being blackmailed and needs Marlowe's help.

First editions of 'The Big Sleep' can be recognized by their distinctive dust jacket featuring droplets on a cobwebbed background, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1939. The absence of a topstain on the book edges and the $2.00 price on the dust jacket flap are also indicative of a true first edition first printing.