|
|
List Price: $35.00 Amazon.com's Price: $23.10 You Save: $11.90 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 813.087208054 EAN: 9781883011499 ISBN: 1883011493 Label: Library of America Manufacturer: Library of America Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 892 Publication Date: September 01, 1997 Publisher: Library of America Studio: Library of America Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: The best American crime novels deserve their place in the pantheon of American literature, but they hold special interest for cinema enthusiasts, who can both compare them to the movies they became and can roll imaginary films of the stories in their minds. Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s is the second of Library of America's two-volume anthology of underground U.S. fiction. The first anthology featured works from the 1930s and '40s that had been made into classic films noir. This volume focuses on fiction written after the crime genre had acquired conventions that younger writers toyed with and sometimes broke. The movies made from such stories were equally radical. Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley is the source for René Clément's bristling Purple Noon, a movie that features Alain Delon's quintessential performance. David Goodis's Down There inspired François Truffaut's neo-noir masterpiece Shoot the Piano Player. Jim Thompson, the brilliant author who scripted The Killing and Paths of Glory for Stanley Kubrick, wrote several novels that have been turned into movies, including The Grifters and The Getaway. He is represented here by one of his most uncompromising works, The Killer Inside Me, which was filmed by Burt Kennedy in 1976. Charles Willeford's Pick-Up and Chester Himes's The Real Cool Killers have not yet been made into movies, but the blistering prose and nihilistic worlds of these authors, and of all the writers represented in this volume, is astonishingly cinematic. This lovely hardcover edition contains biographical, textual, and explanatory notes. Product Description: Critically acclaimed crime novels of the 1950s include Pick-Up, The Killer Inside Me, Down There, The Real Cool Killers, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, in this second in a two-volume set." Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Awesome read-Political correctness NOT included!The stories in the book should each be taken singularly. The writing itself is pure nostalgia. You should be warned: if you're easily offended by racial slurs - this book may not be for you. The writers use words appropriately to set the mood. A couple of stories have surprise endings! Rating: - Great, plus a surprising treatIn this area of noir, I suggest starting with Raymond Chandler. If you've whipped through his books, like me recently, as well as those of Micky Spillane and Dashiell Hammett, then you are definitely ready for this collection and its partner volume of crime novels from the '30s and '40s. I need to mention, in particular, a real treasure in this collection, which is The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes. At this point, allow me a brief political comment. These days, when I see an ... Read More Rating: - An excellent compilationThe other reviewers misunderstand "Pick Up", (****warning -- spoiler****) which is a fascinating novel because the narrator is mentally disturbed and completely unreliable. This fact explains the "twist" ending, a number of apparent editing errors and the unlikely events that occur throughout. Rating: - The Final Volume on the "Crime Novels" Series"Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950's" is the second and last volume of the hardboiled anthology published by the Library of America starting with the volume devoted to the genre in the 30's and 40's. This follow-up continues the saga of run-down characters hardened by experience and tough luck. The familiar cast of roguish males, femme fatales, and temperamental and violent detectives set the stage for a diverse and entertaining ride into the depths of the underworld. "The Killer ... Read More Rating: - More NoirThis book is the second volume in the Library of America set on American crime noir. I enjoyed the first volume so much that I decided to read the second one during Christmas break. Once again, the LOA has done a nice job of collecting a fine series of stories. These stories were written during the 1950's and 1960's. The book is nice to look at too; it's covered in red cloth with a cloth bookmark. The first story is from the demented mind of Jim Thompson. This story, called The Killer Inside ... Read More |
