CHANDLER, Raymond. Playback. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1958. 8 o. Original reddish paper-covered boards, spine lettered yellow; dust jacket, back panel with portrait photograph of Chandler by Douglas Glass (light chipping to ends of spine panel and corners). Provenance : IAN FLEMING (1908-1964), writer (presentation inscription). FIRST EDITION, AN OUTSTANDING LITERARY ASSOCIATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY CHANDLER TO IAN FLEMING by Chandler on the front free endpaper: "To Ian with love Ray." At the printed dedication "To Jean and Helga" (Chandler's literary agent and amanuensis, respectively), Chandler has crossed out the next line: "without whom this book would never have been written." The excision should not be interpreted as Chandler's designation of Fleming as a 'retrospective' dedicatee. When Houghton Mifflin issued the American edition a few weeks later the dedication read simply "To Jean and Helga," suggesting that Hamish Hamilton had failed to fulfill Chandler's wish to shorten the dedication in their edition. Chandler tried to be an encouraging yet critical mentor to Fleming in the writing game. In a letter written April 11, 1956, after publishing a highly positive review of Moonraker in the Sunday Times, Chandler lectured the younger Fleming: "I think you will have to make up your mind what kind of writer you are going to be. You could be almost anything..." Two months later, Chandler wrote another long letter to Fleming, saying: "I am looking forward to your next book. I am also looking forward to my next book" ( Selected Letters , pages 396-398). Chandler's next, and last novel would be Playback , at the end of this novel he dramatically closed his career by killing Philip Marlowe. Bruccoli 11.1.a.
CHANDLER, Raymond. Playback. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1958. 8 o. Original reddish paper-covered boards, spine lettered yellow; dust jacket, back panel with portrait photograph of Chandler by Douglas Glass (light chipping to ends of spine panel and corners). Provenance : IAN FLEMING (1908-1964), writer (presentation inscription). FIRST EDITION, AN OUTSTANDING LITERARY ASSOCIATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY CHANDLER TO IAN FLEMING by Chandler on the front free endpaper: "To Ian with love Ray." At the printed dedication "To Jean and Helga" (Chandler's literary agent and amanuensis, respectively), Chandler has crossed out the next line: "without whom this book would never have been written." The excision should not be interpreted as Chandler's designation of Fleming as a 'retrospective' dedicatee. When Houghton Mifflin issued the American edition a few weeks later the dedication read simply "To Jean and Helga," suggesting that Hamish Hamilton had failed to fulfill Chandler's wish to shorten the dedication in their edition. Chandler tried to be an encouraging yet critical mentor to Fleming in the writing game. In a letter written April 11, 1956, after publishing a highly positive review of Moonraker in the Sunday Times, Chandler lectured the younger Fleming: "I think you will have to make up your mind what kind of writer you are going to be. You could be almost anything..." Two months later, Chandler wrote another long letter to Fleming, saying: "I am looking forward to your next book. I am also looking forward to my next book" ( Selected Letters , pages 396-398). Chandler's next, and last novel would be Playback , at the end of this novel he dramatically closed his career by killing Philip Marlowe. Bruccoli 11.1.a.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
