First Printing (one of 6,000 copies), a review copy, with a "Compliments of the Publisher" slip laid in.
Octavo (21cm); tan cloth, with titling and decorative elements stamped dark brown on spine and front cover; brown topstain; dust jacket; [viii],205,[3]pp.
Inscribed by the author on the front endpaper, a few months after publication: "To Miss Cicely Gregory / with kind regards / Raymond Chandler / La Jolla, November 6th, 1958." Light wear to base of the spine, subtle offsetting to front endpaper, with a faint, holograph notation to upper left margin of p. 148; Near Fine.
Dust jacket is price-clipped, showing some wear to spine ends, upper and lower corners of the front flap fold, with a few tiny tears along the upper edge; Near Fine.
An attractive copy of the final Philip Marlowe novel. "Marlowe is weakening (by his own standards), since he takes on an impossible girl who is running away from a quite imaginary threat and forces her to trust him. There is some silly back-and-forth with $5,000 of traveler's checks, a double fornication without much zest, and at last a transatlantic phone call summoning Marlowe to marry his one true love" (Barzun & Taylor 737). Bruccoli A11.2.a; Baird 448.