Frank wrote:
"The LOA has it all in a good package."
Well, not exactly all. While it adds "Blackmailers Don't
Shoot" to the stories collected in Simple Art of Murder
(later split into 3), it does not contain the "cannibalized"
stories from Killer in the Rain. Nor does it have his much
later story "The Pencil."
Just one of his scripts is included, Double Indemnity (glad
to have it), and not one of the original ones, Blue Dahlia or
Payback (different from the novel).
I'm among those who feel more right reading Chandler in
paperback (I first read him in the early '70s Ballantine
PBs), but it usually takes me all of 2 sentences before I get
lost in the writing and forget the format.
I generally prefer PBs for their convenience. They are easier
to handle and single volume collections can be unwieldy. To
me, the appeal of paperbacks is similar to that of CDs.
Whether or not analog sound is actually "warmer," it was
ultimately the convenience of CDs (along with some
underhanded manipulation by the "record" companies) that
rendered it the format of choice.
Still, I made sure to pick up the LOA Chandler collection
(actually, I conned someone into giving it to me for my
birthday) and I'm slowly working my way back through them.
And I hadn't realized it, but the two LOA volumes are now
more cost efficient than the Chandler trade paperbacks. Of
course, you can still find him pretty easily as used
paperbacks.
Mark
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