The Lady in the Lake

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943 First edition, first printing. One of 6,000 copies. Publisher's green cloth, stamped in dark green to boards and spine; in the original purple and black dust jacket illustrated by Norman Reeves. About fine book with a hint of wear to spine ends, very light toning along upper edges of boards; very good unclipped dust jacket with light toning to spine and edges of rear panel, front panel illustration bright, mild wear to spine ends, slight split to bottom of rear flap hinge, small closed tear to bottom right of rear panel, a few tiny nicks to edges, and small surface tear to rear panel. Overall, a very attractive copy, much nicer than usual. Bruccoli A4.1.a. Published on November 1, 1943, The Lady in the Lake takes Detective Philip Marlowe out of Los Angeles, his usual stomping grounds, to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy businessman's estranged wife Crystal. The investigation quickly becomes complicated when the man Crystal claimed to have run off with is also unaware of her whereabouts, and Chandler adds stolen identities, police corruption, and a shootout with American sentries to further twist the plot. As with many of his novels, Chandler based The Lady in the Lake's plot on various short stories he had previously written for literary magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly and Black Mask. Unlike Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op and Sam Spade, who are widely considered the archetypal hard-boiled detective figures, Marlowe possesses a sensitivity underneath his tough exterior that distinguishes him from similar detective characters in the genre. In 1947, The Lady in the Lake was adapted into a film starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, and Lloyd Nolan.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Dust Jacket Included.