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FOUR NOVELS OF THE 1950s...
[New York]: The Library of America, [2015]. Octavo, cloth. First edition of this collection. Collects THE WAY SOME PEOPLE DIE, THE BARBAROUS COAST, THE DOOMSTERS and THE GALTON CASE.
THE DROWNING POOL.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1950. Octavo, boards. First edition. The second Lew Archer novel. "A noirish, centrifugal amorality pervades Archer's world and The Drowning Pool does not conclude nicely or neatly. Yet this narrative ambiguity affirms the complexity of Macdonald's fiction, for as Archer observes bitterly at the denouement: "The happy endings and the biggest oranges were the ones that California saved for export."" - Lucian Robinson, book review 9/1/2012 for The Guardian/The Observer. Basis for the Paul Newman film, the second in which he plays the Archer character, renamed Harper. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE MOVING TARGET.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Warmly inscribed and signed by Millar on the front free end paper, "To Jim Atkinson, / Carol's brother and / therefore my friend / Kenneth Millar / (John MacDonald)." The first book in the Lew Archer series. Archer is hired to find what has happened to a missing oil tycoon. A Haycraft-Queen cornerstone volume (addenda). Filmed with Paul Newman playing Lew Archer renamed Harper. Hubin, p. 527.
ARCHER AT LARGE.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. Octavo, cloth. First edition of this collection. Omnibus of three previously published Lew Archer novels, The Galton Case, The Chill and Black Money. New introduction by the author. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
ARCHER IN HOLLYWOOD.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1967. Octavo, cloth. First edition of this collection. Signed by the author on the title page. Omnibus volume which reprints three early Lew Archer novels: The Moving Target, The Way Some People Die and The Barbarous Coast. New foreword by the author. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE BARBAROUS COAST.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1956. Octavo, boards. First edition. The first book to use the Ross Macdonald pseudonym, dropping the John (as John Ross Macdonald), to put some distance with John D. Macdonald. The novel is set around a corrupt movie studio, giving Macdonald a chance to skewer the Hollywood crowd. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
BLACK MONEY.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [1966]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. "This is a powerful novel, set against the backdrop of a millionaires' playground in southern California and peopled with unforgettable characters. While Archer's clients in this and other books are rich and powerful, Macdonald's characterization is perhaps at its most masterful when dealing with the little people, life's victims whose pathetic dreams are the fuel for tragedy." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 522-23. Hubin, p. 527.
THE BLUE HAMMER.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. The last Lew Archer novel. "In spite of its flaws, however, the novel is one of Macdonald's most complex, and the background, both in California and Arizona, is well realized." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 523-524. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE BLUE HAMMER.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. The last Lew Archer novel. "In spite of its flaws, however, the novel is one of Macdonald's most complex, and the background, both in California and Arizona, is well realized." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 523-524. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE CHILL.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Winner of the British Crime Writers Silver Dagger Award. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE CHILL.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Signed inscription by Millar to noted Canadian author and educator Marshall McCluhan. "For Marshall/ with affection/ and admiration/ Ken." Marshall McLuhan spent time guest teaching in Santa Barbara where he and Millar met and became lifelong friends. Winner of the British Crime Writers Silver Dagger Award. Hubin, p. 527.
THE CHILL.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Archer searches for a missing bride and uncovers past histories. "...as complex and chilling as its title.." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 527-528. Winner of the British Crime Writers Silver Dagger Award. Hubin, p. 527.
THE DOOMSTERS.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1958. Octavo, boards. First edition. "With its sure pace and crisp prose, The Doomsters belonged with the best of the previous Archers. What was new was its more complex view of behavior. In this book MacDonald said good-bye to the simplistic views and solutions of the hard-boiled shool." Nolan, Ross MacDonald: A Biography, pp. 181. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE DOOMSTERS.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1958. Octavo, boards. First edition. "With its sure pace and crisp prose, The Doomsters belonged with the best of the previous Archers. What was new was its more complex view of behavior. In this book MacDonald said good-bye to the simplistic views and solutions of the hard-boiled shool." Nolan, Ross MacDonald: A Biography, pp. 181. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Signed presentation copy to noted Canadian author and educator Marshall McCluhan and his wife Corinne. "For Marshall and Corinne, admiringly and missingly, Ken." Dated January, 1965, Santa Barbara. Marshall McLuhan spent time guest teaching in Santa Barbara where he and Millar met and became lifelong friends. "...exposes the heartbreak of those who come to California expecting the answers to their dreams..." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 528. Hubin, p. 527.
THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. "...exposes the heartbreak of those who come to California expecting the answers to their dreams..." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 528. Hubin, p. 527.
THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. Signed on the front free end paper as both Millar and MacDonald. A Lew Archer novel. "...exposes the heartbreak of those who come to California expecting the answers to their dreams..." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 528. Hubin, p. 527.
THE FERGUSON AFFAIR.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. Signed as Ross MacDonald on the title page. Non Archer mystery novel involving an idealistic lawyer, set in Southern California. Hubin, p. 527.
THE GALTON CASE.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. Octavo, boards. First edition. Signed by Millar. A Lew Archer novel. "Cumulatively exciting, beautifully plotted and written with taste, perception and compassion." - Anthony Boucher. "...a mystery that turns upon multiple questions of inheritance and identity." Nolan, Ross Macdonald: A Biography, p. 198. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE GALTON CASE.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. Octavo, boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. "Cumulatively exciting, beautifully plotted and written with taste, perception and compassion." - Anthony Boucher. "...a mystery that turns upon multiple questions of inheritance and identity." Nolan, Ross Macdonald: A Biography, p. 198. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
THE INSTANT ENEMY.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Two teenagers runaway and get involved in a kidnapping. A tragic past is exposed. "...simply tragic and haunting" - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 522-23. Hubin, p. 527.
THE INSTANT ENEMY.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Two teenagers runaway and get involved in a kidnapping. A tragic past is exposed. "...simply tragic and haunting" - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 522-23. Hubin, p. 527.
LEW ARCHER: PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR.
New York: The Mysterious Press, 1977. Octavo, cloth. First edition. The first complete collection of Lew Archer short stories. Introduction by the author. "Macdonald's short stories featuring Lew Archer sparkle almost as brilliantly as his novels; the best of them, in fact, are miniature novels in their own right, honed to the sharpest essentials of plot, character, and incident. This volume is the definitive collection: It contains all nine of the Archer stories, the last two of which were written and published after the appearance of the first seven in book form in the 1955 paperback original THE NAME IS ARCHER." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 525-526. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
SLEEPING BEAUTY.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 676-678.
SLEEPING BEAUTY.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Lew Archer novel. Hubin, p. 527.