Lot 398
Chandler, Raymond (1888-1959) American novelist and screenwriter; creator of hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe, who with Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered to be the "quintessential private detective." His stylistic legacy has influenced successive generations of detective novelists. Typed letter (carbon) signed ("Ray"), 2 pages, 11 x 8 in., Palm Springs, November 24, 1957. Written to Maurice Guinness, his literary agent and friend about a variety of matters, including Hammett.: "…Further to my remarks about Hammett on the back of a group photograph Helga is bringing to you--I know you are interested in him--I was told by Joe Shaw, the editor of Black Mask, that Hammett could only write when he had a sense of reality. He could not improvise, as a rule. He was a terrific drinker and must have had about ten Scotches at this dinner where the photograph was taken, and he showed no sign of being even tight. He was a very nice chap to meet, talked as little as possible, and let Horace McCoy (whom I detest) do all the bragging for him. As to his drinking, I was told that he never showed it, but in the end he would collapse silently on the floor and have to be carried away. I met him only this once. After The Thin Man Alfred Knopf told me that Hammett would never write another book. This up to the moment has been true, but I don't know why. It was probably a stroke of luck for me, much as I regret it, since he would have outranked me for years, if not permanently…."
With a note typed in red at the head, explaining, "I had the original of this in an envelope and stamped, but it disappeared into thin air. Helga says this very clear carbon (I save copies of all my letters) is good enough to send." Also with holograph emendations. The verso has a holograph note signed from Helga Greene to Guinness and his wife. Chandler's wife, Pearl Eugenie (Cissy) Chandler had died in 1954. Helga Greene was Chandler's London literary agent and friend and, at the time of his death, his fiancée. She inherited his estate.
Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000.
Maurice F. Neville Collection, Part II - Sotheby's New York, Nov. 16, 2004, lot 495.
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| Realized $3,360 |
