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The Annotated Big Sleep
The first fully annotated edition of Raymond Chandler's 1939 classic The Big Sleep features hundreds of illuminating notes and images alongside the full text of the novel and is an essential addition to any crime fiction fan's library.
A masterpiece of noir, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep helped to define a genre. Today it remains one of the most celebrated and stylish novels of the twentieth century. This comprehensive, annotated edition offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of the novel, bringing the gritty and seductive world of Chandler's iconic private eye Philip Marlowe to life. The Annotated Big Sleep solidifies the novel's position as one of the great works of American fiction and will surprise and enthrall Chandler's biggest fans.
Including:
-Personal letters and source texts
-The historical context of Chandler's Los Angeles, including maps and images
-Film stills and art from the early pulps
-An analysis of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in the novel
A masterpiece of noir, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep helped to define a genre. Today it remains one of the most celebrated and stylish novels of the twentieth century. This comprehensive, annotated edition offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of the novel, bringing the gritty and seductive world of Chandler's iconic private eye Philip Marlowe to life. The Annotated Big Sleep solidifies the novel's position as one of the great works of American fiction and will surprise and enthrall Chandler's biggest fans.
Including:
-Personal letters and source texts
-The historical context of Chandler's Los Angeles, including maps and images
-Film stills and art from the early pulps
-An analysis of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in the novel
508 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
176 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Chandler
449 books5,604 followersRaymond Thornton Chandler was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great 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 addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime (an eighth, in progress at the time of his death, was completed by Robert B. Parker). All but Playback have been made into motion pictures, some more than once. In the year before his death, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Chandler had an immense stylistic influence on American popular literature. He is a founder of the hardboiled school of detective fiction, along with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and other Black Mask writers. The protagonist of his novels, Philip Marlowe, like Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered by some to be synonymous with "private detective". Both were played in films by Humphrey Bogart, whom many consider to be the quintessential Marlowe.
The Big Sleep placed second on the Crime Writers Association poll of the 100 best crime novels; Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The Lady in the Lake (1943) and The Long Goodbye (1953) also made the list. The latter novel was praised in an anthology of American crime stories as "arguably the first book since Hammett's The Glass Key, published more than twenty years earlier, to qualify as a serious and significant mainstream novel that just happened to possess elements of mystery". Chandler was also a perceptive critic of detective fiction; his "The Simple Art of Murder" is the canonical essay in the field. In it he wrote: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective 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."
Parker wrote that, with Marlowe, "Chandler seems to have created the culminating American hero: wised up, hopeful, thoughtful, adventurous, sentimental, cynical and rebellious—an innocent who knows better, a Romantic who is tough enough to sustain Romanticism in a world that has seen the eternal footman hold its coat and snicker. Living at the end of the Far West, where the American dream ran out of room, no hero has ever been more congruent with his landscape. Chandler had the right hero in the right place, and engaged him in the consideration of good and evil at precisely the time when our central certainty of good no longer held."
Chandler had an immense stylistic influence on American popular literature. He is a founder of the hardboiled school of detective fiction, along with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and other Black Mask writers. The protagonist of his novels, Philip Marlowe, like Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered by some to be synonymous with "private detective". Both were played in films by Humphrey Bogart, whom many consider to be the quintessential Marlowe.
The Big Sleep placed second on the Crime Writers Association poll of the 100 best crime novels; Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The Lady in the Lake (1943) and The Long Goodbye (1953) also made the list. The latter novel was praised in an anthology of American crime stories as "arguably the first book since Hammett's The Glass Key, published more than twenty years earlier, to qualify as a serious and significant mainstream novel that just happened to possess elements of mystery". Chandler was also a perceptive critic of detective fiction; his "The Simple Art of Murder" is the canonical essay in the field. In it he wrote: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective 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."
Parker wrote that, with Marlowe, "Chandler seems to have created the culminating American hero: wised up, hopeful, thoughtful, adventurous, sentimental, cynical and rebellious—an innocent who knows better, a Romantic who is tough enough to sustain Romanticism in a world that has seen the eternal footman hold its coat and snicker. Living at the end of the Far West, where the American dream ran out of room, no hero has ever been more congruent with his landscape. Chandler had the right hero in the right place, and engaged him in the consideration of good and evil at precisely the time when our central certainty of good no longer held."
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July 22, 2025
No matter how many times I read Chandler's Big Sleep - and I wouldn't like to count how many - I am always startled by the masterly audacity of the opening lines. Four sentences is all it takes and we've got the time, the weather and where we're located; we know who's talking to us, what he's wearing right down to the pattern on his socks and have no doubt at all of the cock-of-the-walk mood Marlowe's in - all because he's calling on four million dollars. Now I ask you, just who else would start right in like that?
But how to read The Annotated Big Sleep? Good question. In general, its left-hand pages contain the text of Chandler’s full-length novel. Right-hand pages feature the editors’ notes and illustrations. Both sides are irresistible. You might decide, I suppose, to read the text through and then get back later to the glosses and commentary. But I don’t have that kind of willpower.
Those right-hand pages are addictive. And since it’s Chandler who’s under investigation, the delivery has proper brio. The Romantic Tradition and Literary Modernism? Philip Marlowe’s debts are noted. Los Angeles’ geography and history? Those right-hand notations illuminate as they should. There are who-knew? asides. One of them recalls that the city once had a world-beating streetcar system, hence the scenes in The Big Sleep where we hear them passing by. And of course we get clarity on legion points of detail.
Chandleresque? I can’t say I ever spelled out what it meant myself. I’d simply read and re-read the Marlowe novels since I was a teenager—not so long after they were written as I like to think—until they felt like an element I swam in. But measure by measure, page by page, The Annotated Big Sleep does spell out the meaning of Chandleresque and makes a case that fascinates just as much as it convinces.
There are the familiar devices, obviously, that orientate the reader. Can’t imagine Chandler without the gumshoe, a femme fatale, the blondes? Fine, you’re up and running. Add blackmail, hard liquor, and the camera eye and you’re still hardly started on the accessories. Really, you’re not. But no matter, The Annotated Big Sleep has them covered. It considers the hard-boiled conventions, before Chandler and since. Along the way it settles that he’s rarely an inventor—not even when he thinks he might be. And it establishes—no question—that he had a genius nonetheless, for shifting those familiar devices up through the gears into art.
Then again, there are the fault lines. The Annotated Big Sleep spells those out too, because Chandler is complicated. A Victorian by birth and by disposition, apprenticed to the pulps in the Depression era, he liberated the hard-boiled form through talent and technique, and at the same time consorted with its casual prejudices. The editors’ analysis of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity fits The Big Sleep flush in the mainstream of the hard-boiled purview. Simply put, if you’re looking for a fair shake as a developed character in a Chandler story, it helps no end to be straight and white and male. Which can not only make for some queasy 21st-century reading; if you’re thinking of writing something Chandleresque nowadays, there’s a problem to solve.
The Annotated Big Sleep is splendid. Editors Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson, and Anthony Dean Rizzuto have supplied an excellent guide that shows us how much we didn’t know we were missing.
But how to read The Annotated Big Sleep? Good question. In general, its left-hand pages contain the text of Chandler’s full-length novel. Right-hand pages feature the editors’ notes and illustrations. Both sides are irresistible. You might decide, I suppose, to read the text through and then get back later to the glosses and commentary. But I don’t have that kind of willpower.
Those right-hand pages are addictive. And since it’s Chandler who’s under investigation, the delivery has proper brio. The Romantic Tradition and Literary Modernism? Philip Marlowe’s debts are noted. Los Angeles’ geography and history? Those right-hand notations illuminate as they should. There are who-knew? asides. One of them recalls that the city once had a world-beating streetcar system, hence the scenes in The Big Sleep where we hear them passing by. And of course we get clarity on legion points of detail.
Chandleresque? I can’t say I ever spelled out what it meant myself. I’d simply read and re-read the Marlowe novels since I was a teenager—not so long after they were written as I like to think—until they felt like an element I swam in. But measure by measure, page by page, The Annotated Big Sleep does spell out the meaning of Chandleresque and makes a case that fascinates just as much as it convinces.
There are the familiar devices, obviously, that orientate the reader. Can’t imagine Chandler without the gumshoe, a femme fatale, the blondes? Fine, you’re up and running. Add blackmail, hard liquor, and the camera eye and you’re still hardly started on the accessories. Really, you’re not. But no matter, The Annotated Big Sleep has them covered. It considers the hard-boiled conventions, before Chandler and since. Along the way it settles that he’s rarely an inventor—not even when he thinks he might be. And it establishes—no question—that he had a genius nonetheless, for shifting those familiar devices up through the gears into art.
Then again, there are the fault lines. The Annotated Big Sleep spells those out too, because Chandler is complicated. A Victorian by birth and by disposition, apprenticed to the pulps in the Depression era, he liberated the hard-boiled form through talent and technique, and at the same time consorted with its casual prejudices. The editors’ analysis of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity fits The Big Sleep flush in the mainstream of the hard-boiled purview. Simply put, if you’re looking for a fair shake as a developed character in a Chandler story, it helps no end to be straight and white and male. Which can not only make for some queasy 21st-century reading; if you’re thinking of writing something Chandleresque nowadays, there’s a problem to solve.
The Annotated Big Sleep is splendid. Editors Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson, and Anthony Dean Rizzuto have supplied an excellent guide that shows us how much we didn’t know we were missing.
June 11, 2024
Annotating a classic is a great way to make me buy it and read it all over again. * The experience is like a buddy read if your buddy is a wildly enthusiastic Wikipedian** who constantly interrupts you with things you didn’t know you didn’t know. Occasionally this does go too far, and I could feel the rush of blood to the heads of our three lovely annotators when they started defining words like jalopy, highball, chivalry, croupier and rake – rake? Yes, “the long L- or T-shaped stick that the croupier uses to sweep chips across the table”. I might probably have blue-pencilled those.*** But I loved the photos, maps, 1930s adverts, pulp magazine covers and so forth (what exactly did lounging pyjamas look like in 1935? It turns out they looked terrible) and especially the mini-essays about such matters as casual racism
As with much of American literature, the reader is faced with the challenge of reading work that is deeply flawed, but which is also the product of a racist and deeply flawed society. This challenge surfaces with canonical works by such authors as Jack London, Ezra Pound and Ernest Hemingway as well as most early crime fiction
or the ambiguous mortality of Philip Marlowe (is he really a knight errant?****); or what were the big differences between the book and the famous Bogart/Bacall movie*****; the common crime novel trope of the descent into hell; and ending with the most curious question of all.
Because when the last mournful, wry page is turned, the smoke clears and the mirrors are put back in the drawers a discombobulating feeling creeps upon the reader which is - what exactly does Philip Marlowe achieve in The Big Sleep? And the answer is (spoiler alert) not that much. Everything that does happen – a blackmails b, x shoots y, z kidnaps j, j escapes and shoots m, b kisses c – would have happened if Philip Marlowe had never heard of General Sternwood and his two crazy daughters. Marlowe might as well have stayed in bed.
In conclusion, I’m glad to report that a reread of The Big Sleep is a delightful experience, the femmes are as fatale as an autopsy, the similes still startle like a butcher’s kindness and the plot still makes not too much sense to me. The death of the chauffeur is still famously unexplained. (Chandler didn’t know who did it.) But it’s not for the plot, Chandler is why we read Chandler
Her whole body shivered and her face fell apart like a bride's pie crust. She put it together again slowly, as if lifting a great weight, by sheer will power. Her smile came back, with a couple of corners badly bent.
and however many dead bodies litter these pages Raymond Chandler will always be alive and well and living in L.A. in the late 1930s.
****
*Other annotated versions I have got are I have got are Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Ulysses and HP Lovecraft.
**Someone who contributes to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia which anyone can edit, even lamebrains, but their edits don’t last long. For instance, when Jean-Luc Godard died on 13 September I checked his entry to clarify something and came across the statement “He was an anti-semite all his life.” What?? I noticed there was no source referenced & so I thought this is the work of some idiot. When I checked back five minutes later the statement had been deleted.
(Jean-Luc Godard channeling Peter Sellers)
***Blue pencils were used by editors in pre-digital times to indicate text to be removed before printing.
****Errant in this phrase means “wandering”, that is, no longer tied to one feudal lord. He is free to go forth and seek adventure. Philip Marlowe blah blah blah. Blah blah blah.
*****This is a whole complicated story, but how about this – the principal screenwriter was William Faulkner, yeah, that guy. The other thing is that the movie was filmed in 1944 but held back from release because Warners wanted to get some war pictures out first. While that was happening Bogart and Bacall became Hollywood’s Hottest Couple [TM] and so Warners dragged them back and shot some more scenes with them to add into the movie, then released it in 1946. But still they didn’t get any Oscar nominations & neither did the movie. The Oscars suck.
As with much of American literature, the reader is faced with the challenge of reading work that is deeply flawed, but which is also the product of a racist and deeply flawed society. This challenge surfaces with canonical works by such authors as Jack London, Ezra Pound and Ernest Hemingway as well as most early crime fiction
or the ambiguous mortality of Philip Marlowe (is he really a knight errant?****); or what were the big differences between the book and the famous Bogart/Bacall movie*****; the common crime novel trope of the descent into hell; and ending with the most curious question of all.
Because when the last mournful, wry page is turned, the smoke clears and the mirrors are put back in the drawers a discombobulating feeling creeps upon the reader which is - what exactly does Philip Marlowe achieve in The Big Sleep? And the answer is (spoiler alert) not that much. Everything that does happen – a blackmails b, x shoots y, z kidnaps j, j escapes and shoots m, b kisses c – would have happened if Philip Marlowe had never heard of General Sternwood and his two crazy daughters. Marlowe might as well have stayed in bed.
In conclusion, I’m glad to report that a reread of The Big Sleep is a delightful experience, the femmes are as fatale as an autopsy, the similes still startle like a butcher’s kindness and the plot still makes not too much sense to me. The death of the chauffeur is still famously unexplained. (Chandler didn’t know who did it.) But it’s not for the plot, Chandler is why we read Chandler
Her whole body shivered and her face fell apart like a bride's pie crust. She put it together again slowly, as if lifting a great weight, by sheer will power. Her smile came back, with a couple of corners badly bent.
and however many dead bodies litter these pages Raymond Chandler will always be alive and well and living in L.A. in the late 1930s.
****
*Other annotated versions I have got are I have got are Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Ulysses and HP Lovecraft.
**Someone who contributes to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia which anyone can edit, even lamebrains, but their edits don’t last long. For instance, when Jean-Luc Godard died on 13 September I checked his entry to clarify something and came across the statement “He was an anti-semite all his life.” What?? I noticed there was no source referenced & so I thought this is the work of some idiot. When I checked back five minutes later the statement had been deleted.
(Jean-Luc Godard channeling Peter Sellers)
***Blue pencils were used by editors in pre-digital times to indicate text to be removed before printing.
****Errant in this phrase means “wandering”, that is, no longer tied to one feudal lord. He is free to go forth and seek adventure. Philip Marlowe blah blah blah. Blah blah blah.
*****This is a whole complicated story, but how about this – the principal screenwriter was William Faulkner, yeah, that guy. The other thing is that the movie was filmed in 1944 but held back from release because Warners wanted to get some war pictures out first. While that was happening Bogart and Bacall became Hollywood’s Hottest Couple [TM] and so Warners dragged them back and shot some more scenes with them to add into the movie, then released it in 1946. But still they didn’t get any Oscar nominations & neither did the movie. The Oscars suck.
January 2, 2023
My 2022 review is below. I find that I enjoy the annotations immensely. There is such a rich vein of time and place offered by the authors, including: "3. Fairy-tale or “storybook” houses were all the rage in the 1920s, fanciful evocations of medieval Europe by way of Hollywood set design. The famously eccentric “Witch’s House” of Beverly Hills started out as a Hollywood set and was used in the silent film Hansel and Gretel, among others. This poetic description recalls the fairy-tale landscape in Chapter Four. Interiors and exteriors are at play in TBS: the Sternwood mansion, Geiger’s nice suburban home, and these wealthy estates house various forms of degeneracy and decay, while our hero represents the rain-drenched permanent outsider. It’s as existential as it is Grimm. It is also political. In A Room of One’s Own (1929), Virginia Woolf reflects poignantly on this division. Her twilight view of domestic interiors seen from the sidewalk leads her to wonder, “What was the truth about these houses…dim and festive now with their red windows in the dusk, but raw and red and squalid…at nine o’clock in the morning?” Woolf comments from the outside, excluded from membership in patriarchal “Oxbridge” by gender. Marlowe comments from the outside, excluded by class."
There are only a handful of iconic detectives more well known than Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s creation. Fortunately for fans, Chandler wrote more than one Marlowe mystery. For those of us who have read Chandler beyond, Marlowe, it is clear that Chandler was economical in never letting a good plot go to waste. He was a recycler before that was something to brag about. The Marlowe novels are the rework of earlier (and shorter) efforts and have shown the wisdom of perfecting a plot and dialogue. Most of us, will be satisfied without this deep—dive into his work and its influences.
I CERTAINLY WOULDN’T TRY TO READ THE BIG SLEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE SHUTTLING BETWEEN ANNOTATIONS.
"The point made throughout the novels is that Marlowe’s inviolable integrity has landed him outside the legal profession but kept him inside his own ethical code. Chandler himself had been fired as vice president of the Dabney Oil Syndicate in 1931, the precipitating event that made him a pulp writer. He later blamed the sacking on the Depression and various conspiracies against him, but in fact he was fired for drunkenness, absenteeism, in-office liaisons, and general erratic behavior. Such stuff as dreams are made on."
Here are a couple of my favorite reviews by GR friends:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One of the most interesting things that this team of authors offers it the observation that private detectives basically worked for the rich. This tension was a consistent them in Chandler’s work where he sees Los Angeles as both pervaded and controlled by the cops, the gangsters, and, of course, the rich.
Enlightening (and with the Kindle edition) easy to search out what interests you most.
PS: In the electronic version you can easily toggle between the text and the footnotes.
There are only a handful of iconic detectives more well known than Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s creation. Fortunately for fans, Chandler wrote more than one Marlowe mystery. For those of us who have read Chandler beyond, Marlowe, it is clear that Chandler was economical in never letting a good plot go to waste. He was a recycler before that was something to brag about. The Marlowe novels are the rework of earlier (and shorter) efforts and have shown the wisdom of perfecting a plot and dialogue. Most of us, will be satisfied without this deep—dive into his work and its influences.
I CERTAINLY WOULDN’T TRY TO READ THE BIG SLEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE SHUTTLING BETWEEN ANNOTATIONS.
"The point made throughout the novels is that Marlowe’s inviolable integrity has landed him outside the legal profession but kept him inside his own ethical code. Chandler himself had been fired as vice president of the Dabney Oil Syndicate in 1931, the precipitating event that made him a pulp writer. He later blamed the sacking on the Depression and various conspiracies against him, but in fact he was fired for drunkenness, absenteeism, in-office liaisons, and general erratic behavior. Such stuff as dreams are made on."
Here are a couple of my favorite reviews by GR friends:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One of the most interesting things that this team of authors offers it the observation that private detectives basically worked for the rich. This tension was a consistent them in Chandler’s work where he sees Los Angeles as both pervaded and controlled by the cops, the gangsters, and, of course, the rich.
Enlightening (and with the Kindle edition) easy to search out what interests you most.
PS: In the electronic version you can easily toggle between the text and the footnotes.
July 20, 2019
Probably the best annotated book I ever read is the classic Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner, which will make you re-see and appreciate many aspects of Lewis Carroll's book. Of course, if you read literature--any Shakespeare, for example--you appreciate having the footnotes as you read. One summer I read Ulysses without a guidebook, and then again with one, and of course it was a richer experience for me, as a result. Reading an annotated book is in many ways like taking s master class on one book, and this is the case with the work of Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson, and Anthony Dean Rizzuto. You get a rich stew of personal letters, excerpts from the original stories, lots about the LA Chandler loved and hated, film connections, some translations of gangster lingo (which would be useful especially for first tie readers who knew nothing about the genre). and some analyses of the novel from the perspectives of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity.
I'll re-post my original review of Chandler's book below, and I have read it maybe three times, now, but thanks to them, I gained a deeper appreciation for the book. I can say I mainly read this now because I was going to visit Los Angeles, and Chandler's book is one of the great L.A. books.
Of L.A. he writes that it was "dark with something other than night." His Philip Marlowe stood against the corruption of that city's gangsters and crooked cops, and also the rich, such as the Sternwood family that is central to this story.
What's a bit of what I learned?
*That Chandler's book was created in part from short stories he had published in pulp rags such as Black Mask.
*I knew this before, but had it reconfirmed that Chandler was interested more in character and language than plot; for instance, people would write to him and ask who killed the butler, Owen Taylor. Chandler always said he didn't know, and I don't think he really cared.
*Chamdler, on writing noir: ""When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun."
*Chandler understood that mystery was as much about melodrama as anything else, using some of the literary tools of realism with a dose of heightened emotions, especially fear.
*Chandler had two literary heroes he references throughout: Hemingway and Hammett
*Though Chandler owed something to Camus' The Stranger, his Marlowe was much more of a good man, a kind of knight fighting corruption in the city.
*The editors think the book could have been more appropriately titled Not Looking of Rusty Regan, since he denies he is looking for this guy throughout the book. I like that.
8/25/17 review:
“You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that, oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell”--Chandler
Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. He published some short stories, honing his craft, and finally made his debut; The Big Sleep was published in 1939, and made a justifiable name for himself. The real accomplishments include 1) clever dialogue, 2) some kinda ridiculous but wonderful noir “poetic” description and philosophizing and 3) a great hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe.
The novel is deservedly renowned, but it may best be known perhaps for a film version with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that is almost universally loved in spite of the critical claim of its incoherence. Everybody (but a few critics care) disdains coherence; they are looking at and listening to Bogart and Bacall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjJlB...
I won’t say anything about the plot, which to my mind is not that remarkable here, and sort of beside the point. The point is Marlowe. I would describe him as a wisecracker, though he was also much more:
“I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings.”
One guy he describes as “hatchet-faced.”
Gangster lingo: "You big handsome brute! I oughtta throw a Buick at you."
"I leered at her politely."
“Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You’re the second guy I’ve met within hours who seems to think a gat in the hand means a world by the tail.”
“I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it.”
And Marlowe gets entangled with or fights off a few women: “She lowered her lashes until they almost cuddled her cheeks and slowly raised them again, like a theatre curtain. I was to get to know that trick. That was supposed to make me roll over on my back with all four paws in the air.”
Dames, huh?
“You can have a hangover from other things than alcohol. I had one from women.”
This is one great scene from the Bogart film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8H0...
And another:
“I sat down on the edge of a deep soft chair and looked at Mrs. Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.”
But it’s not just detective Philip Marlow that is caustically clever; the women get their jabs in, too, as one says:
“Such a nice escort, Mr. Cobb. So attentive. You should see him sober. I should see him sober. Somebody should see him sober. I mean, just for the record. So it could become a part of history, that brief flashing moment, soon buried in time, but never forgotten—when Larry Cobb was sober.”
Some of the more “literary” writing that would more inform his writing later is here:
“Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness.”
And the film, too, oh boy, but don’t ignore the book, this is the real deal. And it may not even be in the top three books he wrote!
I'll re-post my original review of Chandler's book below, and I have read it maybe three times, now, but thanks to them, I gained a deeper appreciation for the book. I can say I mainly read this now because I was going to visit Los Angeles, and Chandler's book is one of the great L.A. books.
Of L.A. he writes that it was "dark with something other than night." His Philip Marlowe stood against the corruption of that city's gangsters and crooked cops, and also the rich, such as the Sternwood family that is central to this story.
What's a bit of what I learned?
*That Chandler's book was created in part from short stories he had published in pulp rags such as Black Mask.
*I knew this before, but had it reconfirmed that Chandler was interested more in character and language than plot; for instance, people would write to him and ask who killed the butler, Owen Taylor. Chandler always said he didn't know, and I don't think he really cared.
*Chamdler, on writing noir: ""When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun."
*Chandler understood that mystery was as much about melodrama as anything else, using some of the literary tools of realism with a dose of heightened emotions, especially fear.
*Chandler had two literary heroes he references throughout: Hemingway and Hammett
*Though Chandler owed something to Camus' The Stranger, his Marlowe was much more of a good man, a kind of knight fighting corruption in the city.
*The editors think the book could have been more appropriately titled Not Looking of Rusty Regan, since he denies he is looking for this guy throughout the book. I like that.
8/25/17 review:
“You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that, oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell”--Chandler
Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. He published some short stories, honing his craft, and finally made his debut; The Big Sleep was published in 1939, and made a justifiable name for himself. The real accomplishments include 1) clever dialogue, 2) some kinda ridiculous but wonderful noir “poetic” description and philosophizing and 3) a great hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe.
The novel is deservedly renowned, but it may best be known perhaps for a film version with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that is almost universally loved in spite of the critical claim of its incoherence. Everybody (but a few critics care) disdains coherence; they are looking at and listening to Bogart and Bacall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjJlB...
I won’t say anything about the plot, which to my mind is not that remarkable here, and sort of beside the point. The point is Marlowe. I would describe him as a wisecracker, though he was also much more:
“I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings.”
One guy he describes as “hatchet-faced.”
Gangster lingo: "You big handsome brute! I oughtta throw a Buick at you."
"I leered at her politely."
“Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You’re the second guy I’ve met within hours who seems to think a gat in the hand means a world by the tail.”
“I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it.”
And Marlowe gets entangled with or fights off a few women: “She lowered her lashes until they almost cuddled her cheeks and slowly raised them again, like a theatre curtain. I was to get to know that trick. That was supposed to make me roll over on my back with all four paws in the air.”
Dames, huh?
“You can have a hangover from other things than alcohol. I had one from women.”
This is one great scene from the Bogart film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8H0...
And another:
“I sat down on the edge of a deep soft chair and looked at Mrs. Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.”
But it’s not just detective Philip Marlow that is caustically clever; the women get their jabs in, too, as one says:
“Such a nice escort, Mr. Cobb. So attentive. You should see him sober. I should see him sober. Somebody should see him sober. I mean, just for the record. So it could become a part of history, that brief flashing moment, soon buried in time, but never forgotten—when Larry Cobb was sober.”
Some of the more “literary” writing that would more inform his writing later is here:
“Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness.”
And the film, too, oh boy, but don’t ignore the book, this is the real deal. And it may not even be in the top three books he wrote!
March 29, 2023
Review of the Annotated version of The Big Sleep
I believe this is the third time I've read The Big Sleep, once through a paperback, once via audio, and now the annotated version. This annotated version won't suit all tastes. You have to be interested in Los Angeles during this time period enough to appreciate the genuine locales and the fictitious places that Marlowe travels. Chandler's understanding of the oil business from the inside is key to General Sternwood's fortune and the significance of it in the history of Los Angeles. Those things together give the reader a better foundation of setting and hierarchy and a list of places you might want to visit on your next trip out west.
In the tradition of great detective stories the mystery here is less interesting than the character interactions. The plot is very similar to the 1945 film starring Humphrey Bogart and yet that is a different story because the approach is attempting a different tone. You'll see what I mean if you ever read film critic David Thomson's The Big Sleep book. Thomson argues that the film is not film noir. The editors here suggest the book isn't noir either. It's social commentary that uses the detective genre, much like Star Trek uses the Sci-Di genre.
Chandler was mostly unappreciated in his lifetime because critics didn't see literary value within his genre. Later critics have who likely grew up reading genre fiction were able to see how Chandler was doing something unique within the sect. There are several notes about Sam Spade and other Dashiell Hammet books and characters. Bogart played Spade and Marlowe, but more importantly, Hammett was Chandler's biggest influence as a writer, even if their worldviews differed. Spade was more interested in making a buck than Marlowe even though both got the criminal by the curtain.
Great work by the editors on research and obvious legwork to help us understand the geography and significance of people, places, and things. It was an invaluable lesson to anyone who appreciates Chandler or this story in the specific.
Personal Notes
After college, I acted in a dinner theater troop in the evenings. We had a monthly engagement at a local restaurant and we would play hotels for convention audiences. Twice the director chose Raymond Chandler stories to perform, a likely copyright infringement. He played Marlowe. I played heavies. The director only knew Chandler by the parodies of it done by Carol Burnett or Woody Allen. So he would take these original stories and read the lines as if they were parodies, not understanding the difference. He would wink at the audience while I played the heavy as a heavy, not at all going for laughs. I once drove a golf cart through a ballroom like a cab driver. These must have been bizarre plays to watch. Chandler continues to be misunderstood.
I believe this is the third time I've read The Big Sleep, once through a paperback, once via audio, and now the annotated version. This annotated version won't suit all tastes. You have to be interested in Los Angeles during this time period enough to appreciate the genuine locales and the fictitious places that Marlowe travels. Chandler's understanding of the oil business from the inside is key to General Sternwood's fortune and the significance of it in the history of Los Angeles. Those things together give the reader a better foundation of setting and hierarchy and a list of places you might want to visit on your next trip out west.
In the tradition of great detective stories the mystery here is less interesting than the character interactions. The plot is very similar to the 1945 film starring Humphrey Bogart and yet that is a different story because the approach is attempting a different tone. You'll see what I mean if you ever read film critic David Thomson's The Big Sleep book. Thomson argues that the film is not film noir. The editors here suggest the book isn't noir either. It's social commentary that uses the detective genre, much like Star Trek uses the Sci-Di genre.
Chandler was mostly unappreciated in his lifetime because critics didn't see literary value within his genre. Later critics have who likely grew up reading genre fiction were able to see how Chandler was doing something unique within the sect. There are several notes about Sam Spade and other Dashiell Hammet books and characters. Bogart played Spade and Marlowe, but more importantly, Hammett was Chandler's biggest influence as a writer, even if their worldviews differed. Spade was more interested in making a buck than Marlowe even though both got the criminal by the curtain.
Great work by the editors on research and obvious legwork to help us understand the geography and significance of people, places, and things. It was an invaluable lesson to anyone who appreciates Chandler or this story in the specific.
Personal Notes
After college, I acted in a dinner theater troop in the evenings. We had a monthly engagement at a local restaurant and we would play hotels for convention audiences. Twice the director chose Raymond Chandler stories to perform, a likely copyright infringement. He played Marlowe. I played heavies. The director only knew Chandler by the parodies of it done by Carol Burnett or Woody Allen. So he would take these original stories and read the lines as if they were parodies, not understanding the difference. He would wink at the audience while I played the heavy as a heavy, not at all going for laughs. I once drove a golf cart through a ballroom like a cab driver. These must have been bizarre plays to watch. Chandler continues to be misunderstood.
October 27, 2019
I'm so glad I stumbled on this book while I was listening to The Big Sleep. It's everything you would want to know about Raymond Chandler, hard-boiled novels, noir, 1930's L.A., The Big Sleep, and plenty you didn't know you would want to know. Filled with notes, anecdotes, photos, illustrations and many other things that illuminate the writing, the author, the novel, the movie, Marlowe the P.I. and the era. Fun and enlightening!
Why I'm reading this: I noticed this at my library and think it will be fun to check out the notes and illustrations as I listen to the The Big Sleep, the Mystery, Crime and Thriller group's October group read.
Why I'm reading this: I noticed this at my library and think it will be fun to check out the notes and illustrations as I listen to the The Big Sleep, the Mystery, Crime and Thriller group's October group read.
August 16, 2021
Mid-20th Century North American Crime Readathon
BOOK 31 (of 250)
I really needed this annotated version to 'get' "The Big Sleep".
This annotated version has just one drawback: there is at least twice as much text in the footnotes as in the text itself and toward the end, some footnotes felt repetitive/not necessary or even lacking in information. And if you want to read the novel itself, do so first because Chandler's rather cavalier (not that that's necessarily a bad thing) attitude toward plot is only emphasized here.
I'll mention just a few highlights and a few oddities:
- In the introduction, it is noted that Chandler "overlaps with, and even lifts from [Dashiell] Hammett during the course of TBS..." That's absolutely true: in the course of my readathon I also read Hammett's big five novels. Overall, and in my opinion only, Chandler never matches Hammett's "Red Harvest" or "Dain Curse"...and one of those novels land in my favorite five.
- Chandler opens with a weather report and that's unfortunate as the element is such an abused cliche.
-Oddly, in the first paragraph, we read that a man's socks have "dark blue clocks on them." The footnote tells us that the pattern on the socks really aren't clocks but an "ornamental pattern." For such an over-annotated book, I wanted to know, then, what that pattern looked like, since the issue was raised.
- One footnote explains prizefighter as 'a professional boxer.' Over-annotation, absolutely! Besides, I'd really rather the editors had informed me of the pattern on the socks.
- Chandler's idea of Marlowe on film was Cary Grant. Now, I think we all agree Grant is one of the handsomest faces ever on the big screen, but Humphrey Bogart simply nailed the character perfectly.
- One footnote references "The Big Sleep" as "Los Angeles Gothic": a rich family in decline, a massive house with secrets, etc. I agree, but there is one book I'd say is THE definitive hard-boiled private-eye GOTHIC is (you probably know what I'm about to type) Hammett's stupendous "Dain Curse".
- At first read, TBS feels a bit homophobic. Chandler uses five slang terms for "gay": fairy, fag, punk, queen, and pansy. And this brings us to a very odd footnote to the term 'fag party': "Queer was in the air in the Los Angeles of the Prohibition...The 1920s and early 30s...Gay and lesbian subcultures were more visible than they had ever been...gay entertainers sang and danced for Hollywood celebrities...All male pool parties were hosted by, among others, Cole Porter and George Cukor...the efflorescence of queer culture was quickly followed by a backlash well under way by the time this novel was written...LA anti-vice crusaders launched a major offensive against 'sex perverts' in 1938...." So, that explains a lot. Marlowe's view was part of that backlash.
That said, having read all 7 of Chandler's novels, there isn't an author I know of with more 'bromance'-type references in mainstream fiction.
- Yes, indeed, there is a porn lending library. But the porn in 1939 consisted of, for example, an illustrated version of Bocaccio's "The Decameron" (I have a copy from the 1950s and it is on the 'detailed' side, but certainly nowhere near 2019's conception of porn) or "medical" books.
And that, my friends, brings us to a controversy: Chandler's own sexuality. I'll just quote from a jacket worn by one of America's First Lady: " I really don't care. Do you?"
SUMMARY: The editors offer tons of photos from the period on top of an overwhelming amount of information about all the big-names in crime literature on both sides of the pond. In fact, they could have used a number of authors/novels to come up with a very similar product: Hammett's "Maltese Falcon" is referenced often, Ross MacDonald's "Black Money" is mentioned and such authors as Dame Agatha Christie and poet Allen Ginsberg and his obscenity trial are discussed. This could be subtitled: "Everything You Ever wanted to Know About Hard-Boiled Private Eye Fiction." Plus the proverbial kitchen sink: the editors just forgot to edit on occasion, hence the 4-star rating. Plus, I recently read "The Annotated Little Women" and all footnotes/notes/photographs focused on this book only and on the author and her family only. For an annotated book and its purpose, "The Annotated Little Women" is probably the best annotation of a novel I've ever read.
SUMMARY - 4 stars. Just TMI.
BOOK 31 (of 250)
I really needed this annotated version to 'get' "The Big Sleep".
This annotated version has just one drawback: there is at least twice as much text in the footnotes as in the text itself and toward the end, some footnotes felt repetitive/not necessary or even lacking in information. And if you want to read the novel itself, do so first because Chandler's rather cavalier (not that that's necessarily a bad thing) attitude toward plot is only emphasized here.
I'll mention just a few highlights and a few oddities:
- In the introduction, it is noted that Chandler "overlaps with, and even lifts from [Dashiell] Hammett during the course of TBS..." That's absolutely true: in the course of my readathon I also read Hammett's big five novels. Overall, and in my opinion only, Chandler never matches Hammett's "Red Harvest" or "Dain Curse"...and one of those novels land in my favorite five.
- Chandler opens with a weather report and that's unfortunate as the element is such an abused cliche.
-Oddly, in the first paragraph, we read that a man's socks have "dark blue clocks on them." The footnote tells us that the pattern on the socks really aren't clocks but an "ornamental pattern." For such an over-annotated book, I wanted to know, then, what that pattern looked like, since the issue was raised.
- One footnote explains prizefighter as 'a professional boxer.' Over-annotation, absolutely! Besides, I'd really rather the editors had informed me of the pattern on the socks.
- Chandler's idea of Marlowe on film was Cary Grant. Now, I think we all agree Grant is one of the handsomest faces ever on the big screen, but Humphrey Bogart simply nailed the character perfectly.
- One footnote references "The Big Sleep" as "Los Angeles Gothic": a rich family in decline, a massive house with secrets, etc. I agree, but there is one book I'd say is THE definitive hard-boiled private-eye GOTHIC is (you probably know what I'm about to type) Hammett's stupendous "Dain Curse".
- At first read, TBS feels a bit homophobic. Chandler uses five slang terms for "gay": fairy, fag, punk, queen, and pansy. And this brings us to a very odd footnote to the term 'fag party': "Queer was in the air in the Los Angeles of the Prohibition...The 1920s and early 30s...Gay and lesbian subcultures were more visible than they had ever been...gay entertainers sang and danced for Hollywood celebrities...All male pool parties were hosted by, among others, Cole Porter and George Cukor...the efflorescence of queer culture was quickly followed by a backlash well under way by the time this novel was written...LA anti-vice crusaders launched a major offensive against 'sex perverts' in 1938...." So, that explains a lot. Marlowe's view was part of that backlash.
That said, having read all 7 of Chandler's novels, there isn't an author I know of with more 'bromance'-type references in mainstream fiction.
- Yes, indeed, there is a porn lending library. But the porn in 1939 consisted of, for example, an illustrated version of Bocaccio's "The Decameron" (I have a copy from the 1950s and it is on the 'detailed' side, but certainly nowhere near 2019's conception of porn) or "medical" books.
And that, my friends, brings us to a controversy: Chandler's own sexuality. I'll just quote from a jacket worn by one of America's First Lady: " I really don't care. Do you?"
SUMMARY: The editors offer tons of photos from the period on top of an overwhelming amount of information about all the big-names in crime literature on both sides of the pond. In fact, they could have used a number of authors/novels to come up with a very similar product: Hammett's "Maltese Falcon" is referenced often, Ross MacDonald's "Black Money" is mentioned and such authors as Dame Agatha Christie and poet Allen Ginsberg and his obscenity trial are discussed. This could be subtitled: "Everything You Ever wanted to Know About Hard-Boiled Private Eye Fiction." Plus the proverbial kitchen sink: the editors just forgot to edit on occasion, hence the 4-star rating. Plus, I recently read "The Annotated Little Women" and all footnotes/notes/photographs focused on this book only and on the author and her family only. For an annotated book and its purpose, "The Annotated Little Women" is probably the best annotation of a novel I've ever read.
SUMMARY - 4 stars. Just TMI.
May 12, 2018
I would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for a copy of The Annotated Big Sleep for an honest review.
Raymond Chandler's first novel, The Big Sleep, is a masterpiece of the noir and is on the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die List" and I always wanted to read it. This annotated book gives notes and images alongside the full text of the novel. I was able to gain insight of what Los Angeles was like during the 1920's which included maps and images of famous buildings, notes from Chandler's personal letters, pictures of hairstyles and clothing from the characters and an analysis of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity mentioned in the book. The main character, Philip Marlowe, was brought to life along with pictures of Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum who played Marlowe on film. Not only was I able to enjoy reading The Big Sleep but I got a lot more than I bargained for by reading The Annotated Big Sleep.
Credit for this version of The Big Sleep should be given to the editors, Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto, who did an excellent job putting this book together. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to any crime fiction fan's library and hope that you would enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading The Annotated Big Sleep.
Raymond Chandler's first novel, The Big Sleep, is a masterpiece of the noir and is on the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die List" and I always wanted to read it. This annotated book gives notes and images alongside the full text of the novel. I was able to gain insight of what Los Angeles was like during the 1920's which included maps and images of famous buildings, notes from Chandler's personal letters, pictures of hairstyles and clothing from the characters and an analysis of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity mentioned in the book. The main character, Philip Marlowe, was brought to life along with pictures of Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum who played Marlowe on film. Not only was I able to enjoy reading The Big Sleep but I got a lot more than I bargained for by reading The Annotated Big Sleep.
Credit for this version of The Big Sleep should be given to the editors, Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto, who did an excellent job putting this book together. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to any crime fiction fan's library and hope that you would enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading The Annotated Big Sleep.
May 16, 2024
The books I read usually end up becoming more or less annotated, so I really appreciated the notes, which saved me the trouble, and the effort that was put in to make them thorough.
As for the story, some of the content was quite dated and the female characters were ridiculously unreal, like yeah, you wish!
September 24, 2018
If you are a Chandler fan (and I am) then this Annotated version of "The Big Sleep" is a must read.
I read it slowly over a month to savor it. I have read the book several times and seen the movie version with Humphrey Bogart probably 20 times. The annotations are drawn from the author's own letters, essays, and of course his other works, in particular the short stories that he cannibalized (Killer in the Rain, The Curtain) to form the novel, The Big Sleep. Comparisons to other authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Ross MacDonald, Robert B Parker, James Cain, Conan Doyle, etc as well as Romantic Poets (Chandler was educated in England and loved the Romantic Poets and playwrights hence the name Marlowe for his famous detective), and non-fiction works like "The Hero of a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. We also get a comparison to historical Los Angeles and environs in the early to mid 20th century to get a full understanding of the time and place where the story takes place. It contains maps, newspaper articles, and pictures.
I read it slowly over a month to savor it. I have read the book several times and seen the movie version with Humphrey Bogart probably 20 times. The annotations are drawn from the author's own letters, essays, and of course his other works, in particular the short stories that he cannibalized (Killer in the Rain, The Curtain) to form the novel, The Big Sleep. Comparisons to other authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Ross MacDonald, Robert B Parker, James Cain, Conan Doyle, etc as well as Romantic Poets (Chandler was educated in England and loved the Romantic Poets and playwrights hence the name Marlowe for his famous detective), and non-fiction works like "The Hero of a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell. We also get a comparison to historical Los Angeles and environs in the early to mid 20th century to get a full understanding of the time and place where the story takes place. It contains maps, newspaper articles, and pictures.
August 31, 2018
So, I've finished reading The Annotated Big Sleep; now it's time to write a review.
To put it in a nutshell, this edition is well worth reading: the annotations definitely help to understand the novel better. Still, there are a few things that can be improved.
The original text of the novel comprises about 40% of the volume; the remaining 60% are annotations. This proportion gets even higher at the beginning (I would say that it reaches 30/70 ratio there), and gets lower by the end of the book (50/50). The annotators - there are three of them - most certainly have said everything that could be said about Chandler and his very first Philip Marlowe novel. Unfortunately, you might find it difficult to follow the plot if you read the annotations as you meet them in the text. Still, I cannot agree with some Amazon reviewers who find the annotations distracting: to say so is just the same as to complain that your fridge makes food cool and your radio makes loud sounds. Personally, I decided that it would be more productive if I read the whole chapter first and only then started perusing the commentaries. You might try the similar tactic.
So, what kind of information do you get?
First, a significant portion of annotations is dedicated to Chandler himself: his life and his early period of Romanticism. It helps you to realize that Philip Marlowe stories combine elements of both hard-boiled and romantic fiction. Exaggerated similes, sarcastic remarks, personal code of honor, Marlowe’s chivalry - they all have their roots in Chandler the poet who decided to try his hand at writing criminal stories.
Second, there are annotations that expand your knowledge about the city of LA at the end of the 1930s. Among other things, you get to know a great deal about the city's geography, flora, transportation system, police service, oil mining, and legacy of Prohibition. These are the most precious of all the annotations, and they alone make it worth your while to read this particular edition.
Third, there are annotations intended to help you follow the plot of the novel. I didn’t find it particularly complex or convoluted; still, it’s not a bad thing to be reminded, for instance, that a particular insurance service has already been mentioned in the first half of the book.
Fourth – and it is really important for non-native speakers like me – the annotators take pains to explain slang and some rather obscure expressions as, for example, ‘hall-bedroom’ used as an adjective.
Fifth, there are annotations where the film versions (most often, the one released in 1946) are compared to the original novel. Most of the time they are really informative.
Sixth, there are so-called ‘text boxes’ where annotators talk at length about more general subjects like the use of similes in Chandler’s books. These are nice – mostly.
Seventh, as you probably know, Chandler created The Big Sleep using a bunch of short-stories he wrote in the 1930s. Annotators help you realize – and it’s important – that the final text of the novel is totally different from the text of underlying stories. In fact, every scene, every paragraph, every sentence were re-written to add dynamics and get rid of the original pulpiness of the material. There are many instances when you can read ‘the first draft’ of the scene as it appeared in the short-story, and find out for yourself, how it was edited and reshaped.
Eighth, there are annotations where the book’s motifs and ideas are compared to these of other writers, most often by Dashiell Hammett. Some of them are OK, while some of them – ones that go into literary criticism for its own sake – are downright annoying. It might even seem that annotators (or one of the three) are just showing off and not really interested whether these remarks are useful to the readers: the ultimate goal of these pieces of text is to make sure that you have no doubts that annotators are well versed in English literature. Although such annotations only comprise 10% of the book or even less, their number significantly increases by the end of the novel. It might also be that annotators simply ran out of real things to comment on, and decided to throw in some speculations instead.
I would gladly give the book 4.9 stars, if it were not for four obvious drawbacks. They are:
(to be continued)
To put it in a nutshell, this edition is well worth reading: the annotations definitely help to understand the novel better. Still, there are a few things that can be improved.
The original text of the novel comprises about 40% of the volume; the remaining 60% are annotations. This proportion gets even higher at the beginning (I would say that it reaches 30/70 ratio there), and gets lower by the end of the book (50/50). The annotators - there are three of them - most certainly have said everything that could be said about Chandler and his very first Philip Marlowe novel. Unfortunately, you might find it difficult to follow the plot if you read the annotations as you meet them in the text. Still, I cannot agree with some Amazon reviewers who find the annotations distracting: to say so is just the same as to complain that your fridge makes food cool and your radio makes loud sounds. Personally, I decided that it would be more productive if I read the whole chapter first and only then started perusing the commentaries. You might try the similar tactic.
So, what kind of information do you get?
First, a significant portion of annotations is dedicated to Chandler himself: his life and his early period of Romanticism. It helps you to realize that Philip Marlowe stories combine elements of both hard-boiled and romantic fiction. Exaggerated similes, sarcastic remarks, personal code of honor, Marlowe’s chivalry - they all have their roots in Chandler the poet who decided to try his hand at writing criminal stories.
Second, there are annotations that expand your knowledge about the city of LA at the end of the 1930s. Among other things, you get to know a great deal about the city's geography, flora, transportation system, police service, oil mining, and legacy of Prohibition. These are the most precious of all the annotations, and they alone make it worth your while to read this particular edition.
Third, there are annotations intended to help you follow the plot of the novel. I didn’t find it particularly complex or convoluted; still, it’s not a bad thing to be reminded, for instance, that a particular insurance service has already been mentioned in the first half of the book.
Fourth – and it is really important for non-native speakers like me – the annotators take pains to explain slang and some rather obscure expressions as, for example, ‘hall-bedroom’ used as an adjective.
Fifth, there are annotations where the film versions (most often, the one released in 1946) are compared to the original novel. Most of the time they are really informative.
Sixth, there are so-called ‘text boxes’ where annotators talk at length about more general subjects like the use of similes in Chandler’s books. These are nice – mostly.
Seventh, as you probably know, Chandler created The Big Sleep using a bunch of short-stories he wrote in the 1930s. Annotators help you realize – and it’s important – that the final text of the novel is totally different from the text of underlying stories. In fact, every scene, every paragraph, every sentence were re-written to add dynamics and get rid of the original pulpiness of the material. There are many instances when you can read ‘the first draft’ of the scene as it appeared in the short-story, and find out for yourself, how it was edited and reshaped.
Eighth, there are annotations where the book’s motifs and ideas are compared to these of other writers, most often by Dashiell Hammett. Some of them are OK, while some of them – ones that go into literary criticism for its own sake – are downright annoying. It might even seem that annotators (or one of the three) are just showing off and not really interested whether these remarks are useful to the readers: the ultimate goal of these pieces of text is to make sure that you have no doubts that annotators are well versed in English literature. Although such annotations only comprise 10% of the book or even less, their number significantly increases by the end of the novel. It might also be that annotators simply ran out of real things to comment on, and decided to throw in some speculations instead.
I would gladly give the book 4.9 stars, if it were not for four obvious drawbacks. They are:
(to be continued)
February 23, 2019
This is a dnf, but I read enough to rate the book. Halfway through and could take no more.
I had never read a Raymond Chandler novel, even though I love and have read dozens (hundreds!) of mysteries. So I picked up what is considered one of his best. However, the book is so laden with slang and 20's-30's references that I was constantly looking up what was what and what was that word? That expression? So I set the book aside. Then I discovered this annotated version and decided to try again.
The result? I liked it at first and the annotations didn't distract from the book. (I basically LOVE annotated books if they're done real well.) But here it goes....
The book reads to me as one big snark. A sardonic, cynical, jargon-laden read in which almost every comment, word or retort is supposedly wise, witty or funny. No one does anything or says a single word that isn't meant to show off how clever the character - and therefore the writer - is. I just got sooooo tired of it.
So I ditched it and wrote this review.
The stars.
I had never read a Raymond Chandler novel, even though I love and have read dozens (hundreds!) of mysteries. So I picked up what is considered one of his best. However, the book is so laden with slang and 20's-30's references that I was constantly looking up what was what and what was that word? That expression? So I set the book aside. Then I discovered this annotated version and decided to try again.
The result? I liked it at first and the annotations didn't distract from the book. (I basically LOVE annotated books if they're done real well.) But here it goes....
The book reads to me as one big snark. A sardonic, cynical, jargon-laden read in which almost every comment, word or retort is supposedly wise, witty or funny. No one does anything or says a single word that isn't meant to show off how clever the character - and therefore the writer - is. I just got sooooo tired of it.
So I ditched it and wrote this review.
The stars.
June 22, 2022
My Original 2012 Review
General Sternwood, a millionaire in 1930s Los Angeles, hires Phillip Marlowe to investigate a man who claims to have controversial photos of his socialite daughter. However, as Marlowe's investigation progresses, he finds himself in for a little more than he bargained for (excuse the cliche).
In the last few years, I have developed quite an appetite for detective fiction. However, in the past few months, I've wanted to dig deep into the hard-boiled and noir sub-genre. What better place to start than with one that is considered one of the founding fathers of all modern detective fiction.
Chandler not only presents us with a great mystery but also his much revered original style. After finishing this book, I can see why his prose was so influential on a generation of writers. So many memorable quotes are contained within this book! I've selected just a few of my favorites but there are more than I can possibly remember.
It must have been something to be an avid reader when this hit shelves back in 1939. To read this and take in something special that rarely existed must have been refreshing to say the least. With so many signature characters and series' that clutter bookstores nowadays, it's hard to imagine seeing something like this for the first time.
I've certainly become a Marlowe fan after just this one outing and I can't wait to get my hands on subsequent novels
****
After buying the Annotated edition at the tail end of 2018, I finally got around to reading it this month (I figured 10 years after I first read the book is as good a time as any other to revisit it). If you are a fan of Raymond Chandler's classic, this is an excellent addition to your library. Not only does this new edition obviously expand upon The Big Sleep, but it also digs deep into the entire Marlowe series with notes on The Little Sister, The High Window, The Long Goodbye and all the rest sprinkled throughout.
I think perhaps a full series re-read is in order.
Dead men are heavier than broken hearts..
General Sternwood, a millionaire in 1930s Los Angeles, hires Phillip Marlowe to investigate a man who claims to have controversial photos of his socialite daughter. However, as Marlowe's investigation progresses, he finds himself in for a little more than he bargained for (excuse the cliche).
In the last few years, I have developed quite an appetite for detective fiction. However, in the past few months, I've wanted to dig deep into the hard-boiled and noir sub-genre. What better place to start than with one that is considered one of the founding fathers of all modern detective fiction.
Chandler not only presents us with a great mystery but also his much revered original style. After finishing this book, I can see why his prose was so influential on a generation of writers. So many memorable quotes are contained within this book! I've selected just a few of my favorites but there are more than I can possibly remember.
It must have been something to be an avid reader when this hit shelves back in 1939. To read this and take in something special that rarely existed must have been refreshing to say the least. With so many signature characters and series' that clutter bookstores nowadays, it's hard to imagine seeing something like this for the first time.
I've certainly become a Marlowe fan after just this one outing and I can't wait to get my hands on subsequent novels
****
After buying the Annotated edition at the tail end of 2018, I finally got around to reading it this month (I figured 10 years after I first read the book is as good a time as any other to revisit it). If you are a fan of Raymond Chandler's classic, this is an excellent addition to your library. Not only does this new edition obviously expand upon The Big Sleep, but it also digs deep into the entire Marlowe series with notes on The Little Sister, The High Window, The Long Goodbye and all the rest sprinkled throughout.
I think perhaps a full series re-read is in order.
Dead men are heavier than broken hearts..
July 27, 2018
I've read "The Big Sleep" many times, along with biographies of Chandler, along with his letters and essays, critical studies of his work and histories of Los Angeles in the 1930s. This smart and insightful volume brings the best of all of those together and makes a great novel an even greater pleasure to read again.
November 29, 2022
3.5 stars
Not my genre at all. I read it for work and say I have to give props for its craft and Chandler’s place in the genre. The annotations are both helpful and a bit overdone in places.
Not my genre at all. I read it for work and say I have to give props for its craft and Chandler’s place in the genre. The annotations are both helpful and a bit overdone in places.
August 11, 2025
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
I first read “TBS” in 1973. I was much impressed. In later years I came to regard Hammett as the better writer, but this re-reading muddies the waters. His story in the “Hardboiled” collection stood out, mainly because of technique. It’s as if he writes in color.
I’m puzzled by the conclusion in the annotation that Marlowe’s efforts in “TBS” had come to naught and not achieved anything. Per the annotation, he figured it out but did not fix it. I find this conclusion puzzling. Because of Marlowe’s efforts, Carmen was rendered harmless and her father did not learn of her depravity. Am I missing something? (As Norris said, “I’m sorry, sir. I make many mistakes.”). Good annotation regarding the movie finale that was not used.
I picture Bogart as Marlowe, just as I do Sam Spade when I read “The Maltese Falcon.” We inevitably compare Hammett and Chandler; it’s easy to see why. Bogart did not fit either character physically, but his obvious intelligence and dry humor were a perfect fit. His lack of conventional glamour adds to the character’s aura of unstated integrity. If the same actor can effortlessly inhabit both characters with no change in technique, comparisons are inevitable.*
The main difference between Marlowe and the Hammett characters (Continental Op, Spade, Ned Beaumont, Nick Charles) is that, arguably, the Hammett characters are all observed from the outside. Continental Op narrates in first person, I know. But he pointedly does not tell us what he is thinking when he wakes up with his hand wrapped around a knife buried in Dinah Brand’s chest, nor that he figured out, correctly, that he did not kill her. I’m also thinking that he deduces the villain in “The Dain Curse” long before he explains it to us. He certainly leaves us hanging long enough with the diamonds in the wonderful opening.** Part of the attraction of the Hammett leads is their impenetrability. We watch them but we really don’t know them. Marlowe won’t leave us alone.
More defensible is the idea that none of the Hammett leads can be mistaken for a knight errant. They may have a code of ethics, but, if so, it is kept well hidden. “Maybe I’m not as crooked as I’m supposed to be,” is as much as Spade will admit.
Anyway, “The Big Sleep,” for me, is a great novel. The annotation in this edition is wonderfully done. I live in Chicago, and a friend recently took guests to our city on the architectural boat tour. Said she really enjoyed it, learned a lot. Fresh eyes and all that. Sort of an annotated Chicago, I guess. So it is with this edition of “TBS.”
———
* Extra Credit: Phillip Marlowe and Rick from “Casablanca.” Compare and contrast.
** “The Dain Curse” really feels like a Chandler novel, doesn’t it, with the Hollywood scenes and crooked guru? The “TBS” annotators make several notes comparing Carmen Sternwood and Gabrielle Dain.
I first read “TBS” in 1973. I was much impressed. In later years I came to regard Hammett as the better writer, but this re-reading muddies the waters. His story in the “Hardboiled” collection stood out, mainly because of technique. It’s as if he writes in color.
I’m puzzled by the conclusion in the annotation that Marlowe’s efforts in “TBS” had come to naught and not achieved anything. Per the annotation, he figured it out but did not fix it. I find this conclusion puzzling. Because of Marlowe’s efforts, Carmen was rendered harmless and her father did not learn of her depravity. Am I missing something? (As Norris said, “I’m sorry, sir. I make many mistakes.”). Good annotation regarding the movie finale that was not used.
I picture Bogart as Marlowe, just as I do Sam Spade when I read “The Maltese Falcon.” We inevitably compare Hammett and Chandler; it’s easy to see why. Bogart did not fit either character physically, but his obvious intelligence and dry humor were a perfect fit. His lack of conventional glamour adds to the character’s aura of unstated integrity. If the same actor can effortlessly inhabit both characters with no change in technique, comparisons are inevitable.*
The main difference between Marlowe and the Hammett characters (Continental Op, Spade, Ned Beaumont, Nick Charles) is that, arguably, the Hammett characters are all observed from the outside. Continental Op narrates in first person, I know. But he pointedly does not tell us what he is thinking when he wakes up with his hand wrapped around a knife buried in Dinah Brand’s chest, nor that he figured out, correctly, that he did not kill her. I’m also thinking that he deduces the villain in “The Dain Curse” long before he explains it to us. He certainly leaves us hanging long enough with the diamonds in the wonderful opening.** Part of the attraction of the Hammett leads is their impenetrability. We watch them but we really don’t know them. Marlowe won’t leave us alone.
More defensible is the idea that none of the Hammett leads can be mistaken for a knight errant. They may have a code of ethics, but, if so, it is kept well hidden. “Maybe I’m not as crooked as I’m supposed to be,” is as much as Spade will admit.
Anyway, “The Big Sleep,” for me, is a great novel. The annotation in this edition is wonderfully done. I live in Chicago, and a friend recently took guests to our city on the architectural boat tour. Said she really enjoyed it, learned a lot. Fresh eyes and all that. Sort of an annotated Chicago, I guess. So it is with this edition of “TBS.”
———
* Extra Credit: Phillip Marlowe and Rick from “Casablanca.” Compare and contrast.
** “The Dain Curse” really feels like a Chandler novel, doesn’t it, with the Hollywood scenes and crooked guru? The “TBS” annotators make several notes comparing Carmen Sternwood and Gabrielle Dain.
November 2, 2018
I learned a lot from reading this annotated edition of Raymond Chandler's classic hard-boiled detective novel, The Big Sleep. But it's a little hard to figure out what exactly I'm reviewing: is it Chandler's work; or the collection of explanatory notes, maps, pictures and source material that accompanies Chandler's text; or both? Seems like the answer should be "Both," and yet I didn't really experience reading The Annotated Big Sleep as reading one book. It was more like I was reading two books at the same time: Chandler's novel, and a very thorough -- at times, even academic -- piece of literary criticism about Chandler's novel.
Which probably was the point, but it still was a little odd. I'm pretty sure that reading Chandler's text straight up would have been more fun. (I even tried early on to do that, with the idea of coming back to the annotations later, but I couldn't sustain the discipline to pass up the notes calling to me from the right-hand pages as I read Chandler's text on the left.) But the annotations were for the most part quite worthwhile, and they covered a lot of ground: there's a lot of terrific background on the hard-boiled genre generally; comparisons of Chandler to his predecessors and followers; historical context about LA in the early 20th century; some fascinating, even if sometimes rather professorial, analysis of themes of class, gender, and sexuality in the novel; lots of citations to Chandler's earlier work (short stories for the pulp crime mags) which he lifted and rewrote for inclusion in The Big Sleep, by which you can see how he honed his prose for the later work; cool maps, diagrams, and photos from the era; and several excellent sidebars pointing out and explaining differences between the novel and the 1946 Howard Hawks filmed version with Bogey and Bacall (usually, the changes were needed to "clean things up" for the Hays Code).
So even though the overall experience may have been slightly less enjoyable than reading The Un-annotated The Big Sleep, I'm glad I read this version. I'll certainly benefit from this in my future readings of Chandler, Hammett, et al.
Which probably was the point, but it still was a little odd. I'm pretty sure that reading Chandler's text straight up would have been more fun. (I even tried early on to do that, with the idea of coming back to the annotations later, but I couldn't sustain the discipline to pass up the notes calling to me from the right-hand pages as I read Chandler's text on the left.) But the annotations were for the most part quite worthwhile, and they covered a lot of ground: there's a lot of terrific background on the hard-boiled genre generally; comparisons of Chandler to his predecessors and followers; historical context about LA in the early 20th century; some fascinating, even if sometimes rather professorial, analysis of themes of class, gender, and sexuality in the novel; lots of citations to Chandler's earlier work (short stories for the pulp crime mags) which he lifted and rewrote for inclusion in The Big Sleep, by which you can see how he honed his prose for the later work; cool maps, diagrams, and photos from the era; and several excellent sidebars pointing out and explaining differences between the novel and the 1946 Howard Hawks filmed version with Bogey and Bacall (usually, the changes were needed to "clean things up" for the Hays Code).
So even though the overall experience may have been slightly less enjoyable than reading The Un-annotated The Big Sleep, I'm glad I read this version. I'll certainly benefit from this in my future readings of Chandler, Hammett, et al.
December 26, 2024
The Big Sleep is a complex, complicated, even problematic novel that has certainly stood the test of time. Born out of a combination of short stories Chandler had published in the Black Mask pulp magazine, this fascinating book introduces the character of Philip Marlowe, the quintessential hard-boiled detective (perhaps even more so than Sam Spade... and Chandler certainly payed hommage and played literary games with The Maltese Falcon), a knight errant trying to right wrongs in a world that does not longer believe in honor and only understands the rule of might (whether it is based on money or firearms). In his doomed quest to solve a crime that was a mystery to no one (except for Marlowe, a few minor characters, and the reader), the flawed hero dives into the underbelly of Los Angeles, from the decadence of its nouveau riche mansions to its dens of vice and the corrupted halls of justice. And what a dark, twisted, fascinating, and familiar city does LA turns to be and remains as such in popular culture. Of course, as a first-person narrative, The Big Sleep presents a very clear worldview (that is mostly shared by the narrator-character and the author) which includes plenty of casual mysoginistic, homophobic, and racist remarks and points of view. Chandler's femme fatales are certainly fascinating, but they also are borderline caricatures of that noir cliché and just one of the many obstacles that the hard-boiled detective must overcome to survive in the ruthless world to which he belongs. Is The Big Sleep "the Great American Novel"? Perhaps not, but it certainly willing to die trying and Chandler was certainly a well-read and ambitious writer (as can be seen in his many inventive similes). Nevertheless, it is one without a doubt one of the seminal LA novels and many of the tropes and images about its glamour, decadence, and violence remain alive more than 80 years after its initial publication.
February 7, 2019
Admirable scholarship and aid to enriched text comprehension marred by gender and race axe-grinding. We all know by now how insensitive and deficient folks were compared to our own virtuous, enlightened and tolerant times. Any look at the news today will verify how far we have come. At times, the editors seem to want it both ways: praise the richness of the language and realism of the prose and then turn around and condemn Chandler/Marlowe for their feelings, attitudes and viewpoints. Much of the criticism smacks of taking down Chandler/Marlowe a peg or two as we see a lot of poop fondling that analyzes Marlowe's motivations and expressed emotions. Near the end of the book, Marlowe explains his actions and motivations for these actions in a lengthy passage that rings true; that is, his words make sense in terms of the story we have been reading. This extended passage is, however, devoid of annotation, marking it as nearly unique regarding any passage of this type; the editors engage in virtually constant comment on Marlowe's emotional states, introspective moments, etc. Previous annotations might lead one to believe that Chandler's/Marlowe's own words are consistently a load of self-justifying crap. The story events however, belie this. The only motivations that are actually important to the story are those that influence the outcomes relevant to the story. The annotations are glutted with self-serving virtue posturing and neener-neener moments, but please make the point, collect the virtue points and move on. In its own time and in our time, THE BIG SLEEP is a remarkable example of crime fiction enriched by humor and an emotional depth that will endure as a "cornerstone" work in the genre.
January 2, 2019
Vivid descriptions of locations and classic banter define this complex crime mystery within a mystery. I read the annotated version, which pointed out not just common definitions of the day, but also where Chandler borrowed from his earlier pulp stories to create this masterpiece.
The annotation also touched on both movie adaptations and the unsolved mysteries, such as who killed the chauffeur? Original story is on the left hand page, annotations, location photos and maps on the right hand page - this is essentially two books in one. The introduction also contains full detail on the author and his history, along with comparisons with Hammett and others.
I haven't read many hardboiled crime novels, and hadn't read this before now. While I've seen portions of Bogart's movie version, I haven't seen Mitchum's version at all, and look forward to seeing both soon. This book was a great way to end the old year and kick off the new - recommended!
The annotation also touched on both movie adaptations and the unsolved mysteries, such as who killed the chauffeur? Original story is on the left hand page, annotations, location photos and maps on the right hand page - this is essentially two books in one. The introduction also contains full detail on the author and his history, along with comparisons with Hammett and others.
I haven't read many hardboiled crime novels, and hadn't read this before now. While I've seen portions of Bogart's movie version, I haven't seen Mitchum's version at all, and look forward to seeing both soon. This book was a great way to end the old year and kick off the new - recommended!
January 8, 2019
Chandler, in spite of his flaws, is an old favorite of mine, and this new edition with its informative (and sometimes opinionated) notations is an engaging read that has pointed out some motifs and fictional tactics that I'm not sure I consciously noted in previous readings. Further, illustrations, biographical and background information on the time and place -- Los Angeles is as much a character in Chandler's novels as Philip Marlowe -- offer a rich context for the action and attitude of the novel. As an added plus, the editors include information about the transfer of the novel to screen in the Bogart/Bacall vehicle directed by Howard Hawks and scripted by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman.
January 15, 2019
I don't often read mysteries, but perhaps I should. A wonderfully written novel that captures as well as anything I've read or watched the noir era of Los Angeles. It is like a story and a theme and a setting with few parallels in American literature. I think of Walter Mosley and James Ellroy, but you have to put Raymond Chandler on the top of the Los Angeles Hills.
This particular edition, which I have in Nook book format, is the one to get. It is annotated and provides the background, the biography, the setting, and the era for this novel (and others). If you're going to read or re-read The Big Sleep, the annotated edition is the one to get, in my opinion. You get the story itself and then some.
This particular edition, which I have in Nook book format, is the one to get. It is annotated and provides the background, the biography, the setting, and the era for this novel (and others). If you're going to read or re-read The Big Sleep, the annotated edition is the one to get, in my opinion. You get the story itself and then some.
February 7, 2023
I actually liked this one more than any of the other books I've read for ENG236 so far. The storytelling is really quite superb, and I loved the descriptiveness and characterization. The contrast between the witty dryness of the narrative voice and the events of the novel really made this a fascinating read and gave us really great insight into the narrator's mind; all of his dialogue with the other characters, and even his inner monologue, felt so authentic and natural. However, for the first half of the book, I was struggling SO hard to follow the plot. Like, I was clinging to it... but only with the faintest thread of spider's silk... Maybe, if I ever read it again, I'll be able to follow along better and grant it a fifth star. But will I ever read it again? Great question.
May 2, 2018
What a delightful annotated work. If you are a fan of any of the following - Chandler, Marlowe, Bogart, Noir, Los Angeles, then you need this book!
This book which, of course, includes the entire text of Raymond Chandler's novel, is extremely well edited by Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto. The reader learns so much about the period that only enhances the novel. Geography, to hairstyles, to currency and so much more. Beyond just text there are also pictures through out to assist with the descriptions, as well as photos from film, including the classic version of the novel.
If you are a fan of the book, or not...you will be. This is definitely the text to read.
This book which, of course, includes the entire text of Raymond Chandler's novel, is extremely well edited by Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto. The reader learns so much about the period that only enhances the novel. Geography, to hairstyles, to currency and so much more. Beyond just text there are also pictures through out to assist with the descriptions, as well as photos from film, including the classic version of the novel.
If you are a fan of the book, or not...you will be. This is definitely the text to read.
August 29, 2018
This is an incredible resource for the TBS veteran -- rookies should probably start with a normal unannotated edition, not least because there are some light spoilers in the annotations.
There is so much to recommend it to the Chandler fan. The period pictures of LA, slang etymology, historical background, comparison to the movie, and contexualization of how Chandler fit into the world of detective and popular fiction make this volume truly a joy.
I was not as big a fan of the literary criticism. Some of the decoding and analysis is right on, but a lot of it felt strained, and the ratio of lit crit to other stuff increases as the book goes on.
Still this is an absolute must-have.
There is so much to recommend it to the Chandler fan. The period pictures of LA, slang etymology, historical background, comparison to the movie, and contexualization of how Chandler fit into the world of detective and popular fiction make this volume truly a joy.
I was not as big a fan of the literary criticism. Some of the decoding and analysis is right on, but a lot of it felt strained, and the ratio of lit crit to other stuff increases as the book goes on.
Still this is an absolute must-have.
September 5, 2018
Chandler's first and best noir novel was made even more enjoyable for me by this meticulously annotated version. The authors point out many ways in which Chandler upheld or subverted the noir tradition, and use extensive sections from his earlier short stories to show how he 'borrowed' from himself to craft "The Big Sleep". A most enjoyable way to re-read the novel, or to make comparisons with the movie version.
February 8, 2019
This book is wonderful. Raymond Chandler's novel deserves a 5 all by itself. But the detailed notes provided help to put the reader into the novel's context, compare TBS to similar works from the period and later, explain slang that you won't be familiar with and so much more. The annotations slow the reader down and help him or her to get a thorough experience of the work. BRAVO!
July 13, 2023
This was my first time reading the big sleep, and I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed it without the annotations. They provided easy explanations of some of the slang term is used in the book, which was handy. However, I found the deeper insight provided by the annotations helped me understand Some of the subtleties and brilliance of the book.
August 13, 2018
Fabulous writer, I can see why he is so well-known. The annotations are helpful, but often distracting. I have seen the movie about 10 times and did not understand it. The book is complex too. Still, like the movie,, a good time.
September 7, 2018
The Big Sleep is a classic, of course. The notes and annotations here are fine!
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