A couple of great crime yarns

From my library. Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain knew how to capture the seamy underside of the human condition. Here are two of their best that were also the basis of memorable 40s films featuring the steamy pairings of Bogart + Bacall and Garfield + Turner.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler 1939." So she giggled. Very cute. The giggles got louder and ran around the corners of the room like rats behind the wainscoting." 

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 1934.  “We’re just two punks, Frank. God kissed us on the brow that night. He gave us all that two people can ever have and we just weren’t the kind that could have it. [I]t’s a big airplane engine, that takes you through the sky, right up to the top of the mountain. But when you put it in a Ford, it just shakes it to pieces. That’s what we are, Frank, a couple of Fords.” 

The Hailey Residence

Here's a real beauty built by Richard Neutra in 1959 in the hills north of the Hollywood Reservoir, this small 1,129-square-foot house has wide open living areas, floor-to-ceiling glass, and a moveable wall that separates the living areas when needed.

At one end of the living room, a soft wall can be pushed back to reveal the den--essentially stretching the main living space from one end of the house to the other.

Design annuals from the Art Directors Club

Here are three volumes of the Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art from the Art Directors' Club of New York. These were auctioned as a large 17-volume set on Heritage Auctions, and sold for $625. "These issues celebrate the finest in advertising art, featuring such artists or photographers as Arthur Rackham, Norman Rockwell, Edward J. Steichen, Miguel Covarrubias, Diane and Allan Arbus, and Thomas Hart Benton."

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 30 | Art Directors' Club of New York. 1951

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 33

Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art 34 from the Art Directors' Club of New York. 1955. Jacket design by George Giusti.