THE LADY IN THE LAKE. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943. Octavo, pp. [1-6] [1-2] 3-216 [217: blank] [318: colophon], original green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black, running Borzoi stamped in black on rear panel, fore and bottom edges rough trimmed. First edition. Chandler's fourth novel featuring private detective Philip Marlowe and his "masterpiece" (Barzun and Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime 483). The 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture starred Robert Montgomery and was filmed "in the first person," from Marlowe's physical point of view. 6000 copies printed. Johnson, The Dark Page, p. 64. Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights: The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 123-4. Bruccoli IV-1a. Small bookplates of New York University's Fales Collection (marked as a withdrawn duplicate) and collector Scott Cunningham affixed to the front paste-down and very faint previous owner's signature on the front free endpaper. Spine lean, a very good copy in very good dust jacket with light wear at spine ends and corner tips, some rubbing along spine folds, just a touch of dust soiling to the rear panel, and printed price clipped from the front flap. Both book and jacket present well overall. This wartime novel is hard to find in decent condition. (#151297).
Price: $3,500.00
First edition so stated on copyright page.