Raymond Chandler books

Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter who created the private detective Philip Marlowe, one of the most iconic characters in crime fiction.

Akashic Noir Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
San Francisco Noir 2002 Buy
Seattle Noir 2003 Buy
Bronx Noir 2003 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 2004 Buy
Hasidic Noir 2004 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 2 2005 Buy
Chicago Noir 2005 Buy
Dublin Noir 2005 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2006 Buy
Miami Noir 2006 Buy
D.C. Noir 2006 Buy
Baltimore Noir 2006 Buy
Twin Cities Noir 2006 Buy
London Noir 2006 Buy
New Orleans Noir 2007 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2007 Buy
Wall Street Noir 2007 Buy
Havana Noir 2007 Buy
Detroit Noir 2007 Buy
Queens Noir 2008 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008 Buy
Toronto Noir 2008 Buy
Las Vegas Noir 2008 Buy
Trinidad Noir 2008 Buy
D.C. Noir 2 2008 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2 2008 Buy
Paris Noir 2008 Buy
Istanbul Noir 2008 Buy
Boston Noir 2009 Buy
Rome Noir 2009 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2 2009 Buy
Portland Noir 2009 Buy
Delhi Noir 2009 Buy
Phoenix Noir 2009 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Buy
Mexico City Noir 2010 Buy
Richmond Noir 2010 Buy
Orange County Noir 2010 Buy
Indian Country Noir 2010 Buy
Moscow Noir 2010 Buy
Lone Star Noir 2010 Buy
Philadelphia Noir 2010 Buy
Haiti Noir 2010 Buy
Copenhagen Noir 2010 Buy
Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Buy
San Diego Noir 2011 Buy
Barcelona Noir 2011 Buy
Cape Cod Noir 2011 Buy
New Jersey Noir 2011 Buy
Staten Island Noir 2012 Buy
Mumbai Noir 2012 Buy
Long Island Noir 2012 Buy
Venice Noir 2012 Buy
Kingston Noir 2012 Buy
St. Petersburg Noir 2012 Buy
Kansas City Noir 2012 Buy
Boston Noir 2 2012 Buy
USA Noir 2013 Buy
Manila Noir 2013 Buy
Buffalo Noir 2013 Buy
Dallas Noir 2013 Buy
Haiti Noir 2 2013 Buy
Singapore Noir 2014 Buy
Prison Noir 2014 Buy
Tel Aviv Noir 2014 Buy
Tehran Noir 2014 Buy
Belfast Noir 2014 Buy
Helsinki Noir 2014 Buy
Rio Noir 2014 Buy
Providence Noir 2015 Buy
Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015 Buy
Memphis Noir 2015 Buy
Zagreb Noir 2015 Buy
Marseille Noir 2015 Buy
Beirut Noir 2015 Buy
New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016 Buy
Stockholm Noir 2016 Buy
Brussels Noir 2016 Buy
Mississippi Noir 2016 Buy
St. Louis Noir 2016 Buy
Prague Noir 2016 Buy
San Juan Noir 2016 Buy
Oakland Noir 2017 Buy
Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017 Buy
Atlanta Noir 2017 Buy
New Haven Noir 2017 Buy
Montana Noir 2017 Buy
Buenos Aires Noir 2017 Buy
Montreal Noir 2017 Buy
Berlin Noir 2018 Buy
São Paulo Noir 2018 Buy
Santa Cruz Noir 2018 Buy
Lagos Noir 2018 Buy
Marrakech Noir 2018 Buy
Baghdad Noir 2018 Buy
Vancouver Noir 2018 Buy
Sydney Noir 2018 Buy
Hong Kong Noir 2018 Buy
Amsterdam Noir 2019 Buy
Milwaukee Noir 2019 Buy
Houston Noir 2019 Buy
Nairobi Noir 2020 Buy
Columbus Noir 2020 Buy
Santa Fe Noir 2020 Buy
Alabama Noir 2020 Buy
Berkeley Noir 2020 Buy
Addis Ababa Noir 2020 Buy
Tampa Bay Noir 2020 Buy
Miami Noir: The Classics 2020 Buy
Accra Noir 2020 Buy
Belgrade Noir 2020 Buy
Palm Springs Noir 2021 Buy
Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022 Buy
Denver Noir 2022 Buy
South Central Noir 2022 Buy
Cleveland Noir 2023 Buy
East Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
West Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
Honolulu Noir 2024 Buy
Sacramento Noir 2025 Buy
Hamburg Noir 2025 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Stories and Early Novels 1933 Buy
The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler 1976 Buy
Selected Letters 1981 Buy
Later Novels and Other Writings 1995 Buy
The World of Raymond Chandler 2014 Buy

Philip Marlowe Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Big Sleep 1939 Buy
Farewell, My Lovely 1940 Buy
The High Window 1942 Buy
The Lady in the Lake 1943 Buy
The Little Sister 1949 Buy
The Long Goodbye 1953 Buy
Playback 1958 Buy
Poodle Springs 1989 Buy
Perchance to Dream 1991 Buy
The Black-Eyed Blonde / Marlowe 2014 Buy
Only to Sleep 2018 Buy
The Goodbye Coast 2022 Buy
The Second Murderer 2023 Buy

Raymond Chandler Anthologies Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hard-Boiled Detectives 1953 Buy
The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories 1988 Buy
Great Law and Order Stories 1990 Buy
The Little Book of Horrors: Tiny Tales of Terror 1992 Buy
Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories 1996 N/A
The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories 1996 Buy
The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950 1999 Buy
The Oxford Book of Detective Stories 2000 Buy
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century 2000 Buy
Writing Los Angeles 2002 Buy
The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction 2004 Buy
Pulp Fiction - The Dames 2008 Buy
Books to Die For 2012 Buy
Writers: Their Lives and Works 2018 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Buy
The Movie Book 2016 Buy

Raymond Chandler Non-Fiction Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler 1976 Buy
Selected Letters 1981 Buy
The World of Raymond Chandler 2014 Buy

Raymond Chandler Philip Marlowe Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Big Sleep 1939 Buy
Farewell, My Lovely 1940 Buy
The High Window 1942 Buy
The Lady in the Lake 1943 Buy
The Little Sister 1949 Buy
The Long Goodbye 1953 Buy
Playback 1958 Buy
Poodle Springs 1989 Buy
Perchance to Dream 1991 Buy
The Black-Eyed Blonde 2014 Buy
Only to Sleep 2018 Buy
The Goodbye Coast 2022 Buy
The Second Murderer 2023 Buy

Raymond Chandler Screenplays Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Double Indemnity 1944 Buy
The Blue Dahlia 1976 Buy

Screenplays Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Double Indemnity 1944 Buy
The Blue Dahlia 1976 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Curtain 1936 Buy
Bay City Blues 1938 Buy
The Bronze Door 1939 N/A
Professor Bingo’s Snuff 1951 Buy
English Summer 1976 Buy
Goldfish 1981 Buy
The Man Who Liked Dogs 1996 Buy
I’ll Be Waiting 2020 Buy

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Five Murders 1944 N/A
Five Sinister Characters 1945 Buy
Red Wind 1946 Buy
Spanish Blood 1946 Buy
The Finger Man 1947 Buy
The Simple Art of Murder 1950 Buy
Trouble is My Business 1950 Buy
Pickup on Noon Street 1952 Buy
Smart-Aleck Kill 1953 Buy
Pearls are a Nuisance 1958 Buy
Killer in the Rain 1964 Buy
The Smell of Fear 1965 Buy

Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) was an American-British author who defined the hard-boiled detective novel. His Philip Marlowe series, beginning with The Big Sleep in 1939, created a template for the cynical but principled private eye that has influenced crime fiction for decades. Chandler wrote seven Marlowe novels during his lifetime, from The Big Sleep through Playback (1958).

Beyond Marlowe, Chandler was a prolific short story writer, screenwriter (Double Indemnity, The Blue Dahlia), and essayist. His story collections like The Simple Art of Murder and Trouble is My Business gather his pulp fiction origins. After his death, other authors continued the Marlowe character, including Robert B. Parker (Poodle Springs) and Benjamin Black (The Black-Eyed Blonde).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Raymond Chandler written?

Raymond Chandler has written 195 books across ten series.

What was Raymond Chandler's first book?

Raymond Chandler’s first book is Stories and Early Novels, published in 1933.

What is Raymond Chandler best known for?

Raymond Chandler is best known for creating the private detective Philip Marlowe, who appeared in seven novels starting with The Big Sleep (1939). Chandler’s sharp, witty prose style defined the hard-boiled detective genre, and his novels have been adapted into numerous films.

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