The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, 1986, Arion Press, Signed Limited Edition

This is a signed limited edition of “The Big Sleep” published by the Arion Press in 1986 with a limitation of 425 unnumbered copies signed by Lou Stoumen. From the publisher, “For the third in its series of classic detective novels, the Arion Press selected photographer Lou Stoumen to visualize the rich girls, hoodlums, and petty grifters with whom Chandler peopled Los Angeles in the 1940s. The characters were costumed and posed in the manner of motion picture publicity stills. The resulting photographs depict crucial events in the story, like a "paper movie", as Stoumen writes in his afterword. In designing The Big Sleep Andrew Hoyem recalled modern styles current when the novel appeared half a century ago.”

Measuring 10” x 8” with 252 numbered pages, the book is bound in bevelled plexiglass boards and curved plexiglass spine with silkscreened titling and decoration. The type is Monotype Scotch Roman for the text with handset Futura Black for display, printed in two colors by letterpress on Mohawk Superfine, with the illustrations printed by photolithography in blue-black duotone with varnish. The introduction to the book was written by Lawrence Clark Powell.

The book is in FINE condition with no flaws and is signed by Lou Stoumen at the end of his 2 page “Photographer's Note" in the back of the book.

Photographs of the binding, the prospectus, and some images from the book appear in the photo section of the listing.

About the Arion Press

Since its inception in 1974, the Arion Press publishes literature illustrated with original artwork from prominent artists, Andrew Hoyem and his team at the Arion Press have carried on the tradition of the livre d’artiste in spectacular fashion. Michael Kimmelman of the New York Times put it best when he wrote, "The Arion Press produces some of the most beautiful limited-edition, hand printed books in the world."