The Simple Art of Murder - photo 1
The Simple Art of Murder - photo 2
The Simple Art of Murder - photo 3
The Simple Art of Murder - photo 4
The Simple Art of Murder - photo 5

The Simple Art of Murder

Sold
£ 25 200
Auction dateClassic
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1016484
Lot 15 | The Simple Art of Murder
The Simple Art of Murder

Raymond Chandler

CHANDLER, Raymond (1888-1959). The Simple Art of Murder. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1950.



First edition, first issue, inscribed to his literary agent, Ray Stark: ‘To Ray Stark with my best wishes for a life of crime from Raymond Chandler La Jolla Oct 5 1950’. Stark was responsible for arranging for Chandler to work with Alfred Hitchcock on the screenplay for Strangers on a Train, a project Chandler was initially flattered by and eager to work on. Difficulties between director and writer quickly arose and, though Chandler allowed his name to be associated with the film, he had little to do with it; he fired Stark as his agent as a consequence. The Simple Art of Murder reprints Chandler’s short stories that had appeared in pulp fiction magazines and elsewhere, together with the first appearance in book form of ‘Pick-Up on Noon Street’. Bruccoli A.9.1.1; a Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.



Octavo. Original yellowish grey cloth stamped in yellow and titled in orange-yellow, top edge yellow-brown (some light spotting, spine slightly darkened, light wear at extremities); original pictorial dust-jacket by Boris Artzybasheff supplied from another copy (off-setting of blue band from its Plasti-kleer wrapper, a few neat tears); modern linen box with leather spine label. Provenance: Ray Stark (1915-2004; presentation inscription).

Category:Printed book
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

The Lady in the Lake
The Lady in the Lake
£10 000
The Little Sister
The Little Sister
£5 000
The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep
£5 000
The High Window
The High Window
£7 000
Black Mask
Black Mask
£5 000
8 works and 1 typed letter signed
8 works and 1 typed letter signed
£2 400
The Lady in the Lake
The Lady in the Lake
£3 200
Playback
Playback
£12 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.