Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life

This is a short review for a small sized hardcover book entitled "Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life," and what a life you will live if you heed the writngs of Raymond Chandler as voiced by his fictional detective, Philip Marlowe. For example On Blondes: "It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window." Farewell My Lovely. On Booze: "I don't drink. The more I see of people who do the more glad I am that I don't." The Long Goodbye. On Faces: "It was a face that had nothing to fear. Everything had been done to it that anybody could think of." Farewell My Lovely. On Luxury Cars: "It moved away from the curb with as much noise as a bill makes in a wallet." Trouble Is My Business. By now you get the idea, Marlowe was not only well written and a fine detective, he was also quite the sage. If you haven't read Raymond Chandler's novels you really should indulge yourself and enjoy hours of pleasure. But getting this little book will give you a fair sampling of that pleasure as well, maybe not hours but certainly moments. I have rated this tiny tome four stars mainly because I think it really should have been fifteen or twenty pages longer, to say the least. Or maybe a couple of inches taller & wider. In other words I think there should be more of it, especially considering what is being asked for this little book. By the way, I have read my copy much more than just once or twice. No matter the size of the container, vintage Chandler is usually just right and quite tasty.

This is a really great little pocket-sized hardback book that no Raymond Chandler fan should miss. Elegant in design and typography, it is a remarkable compilation of great quotations from the major Philip Marlowe novels,"The Big Sleep"(1939),"Farewell, My Lovely"(1940),"The High Window"(1942),"The Lady In The Lake"(1943),"The Little Sister"(1949), "The Long Goodbye" (1954), "Playback" as well as selected pre-Marlowe stories from Black Mask magazine. The quotations are listed by alphabetical category, such as "Booze", "Broads", "Murder" ... you get the drift. Ross Macdonald summed it up best: "Chandler wrote like a slumming angel and invested the sun-blinded streets of Los Angeles with a romantic presence."

GREAT QUOTES. But I feel you would be better off reading them in the original text and picking out your own. Why should I think some guy has better taste than me ? Not likely. Some are missed and some others are not that great. The main problem with Chandler is he started writing late in life and just didn't write enough. No question he was THE BEST writer of hardboiled mystery detective fiction who ever wrote. So buy this it is good for a portable and write the quotes he missed on the blank pages. "Dead men are heavier than broken hearts."

Excellent, excellent book for 1940's one-liners and wise-guy cracks - West Coast wise guy, that is. This collection of Philip Marlowe quips and punch lines is THE authority on America's original 20th Century hard-boiled, lone-wolf goodguy from L.A. An excellent idea for a gift, great conversation piece at a cocktail party. Lot's of chuckles.

For those lovers of hard boiled fiction, this slight book lets you flip through some of the best lines and passages from Chandler's novels. Easier than going back to your underlined copies. While a little pricey , the truth is worth it---on marriage:"For two people in a hundred,it's worth it."; on Hollywood:"In Hollywoord,anything can happen, anything at all."; on night:"It was night.The world outside the windows was a black world." And for those you have yet to bite into the pleasure,this is a fine introduction.