Estate / Collection: The Jean Vounder-Davis Collection of Raymond Chandler

THE EDGAR ALLAN POE AWARD

The book-form Edgar Allan Poe award presented to Raymond Chandler in 1946. Presented by the Mystery Writers of America, the award is in the form of a 1945 edition of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe published by The Viking Portable Library that has been specially bound in full red morocco gilt and has an inserted leaf with the folowing text in print and manuscript: "Mystery Writers of America, Inc./Edgar Allan Poe Award/1945/To/Raymond Chandler/For/'Farewell My Lovely,' the book from which was adapted 'Murder My Sweet,' the Best Motion Picture of Mystery Nature during 1945. This special edition is limited to 15 copies." Full red morocco gilt, the spine with raised bands and gilt lettering, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. 6 1/2 x 4 inches (17 x 10 cm). The spine slightly darkened, a few minor nicks but fine overall; Together with “The Third Degree,” being the newsletter of the Mystery Writers of America, dated 1959, announcing the death of Chandler (and with mention of the upcoming Edgar Allan Poe awards); And a typed note dated April 8, 1959, to Jean Fracasse from the Mystery Writers of America regarding the death of Chandler.

Mystery Writers of America, Inc. was established in 1945 to promote and protect the interest and welfare of mystery writers. The first slogan of the organization was "Crime Does Not Pay - Enough." Founding members included Howard Haycraft, Erle Stanley Gardener, Rex Stout, Frederic Dannay and Richard Lockridge (Ellery Queen) and others of note. Naming their annual writing award for Edgar Allan Poe, whose three C. Auguste Dupin stories established Poe as “The Father of the Detective Story,” in 1946, the first Edgar Awards Dinners was held. In addition to the award for Best First Novel, awards were given for Best Motion Picture, Best Radio Drama, and Outstanding Mystery Criticism. The present lot offers the award presented to Raymond Chandler for Best Motion Picture made from a mystery (or detective) writer's story, this being the 1945 film Murder My Sweet adapted from Chandler's 1940 Philip Marlowe detective novel Farewell, My Lovely. Screenwriter of the film John Paxton was also awarded the Best Motion Picture Edgar and it is unknown to us if the award presented to Paxton was also in the form of a book by Poe.

It is quite notable to encounter not only one of the first Edgar Allan Poe Awards presented during their first ceremony, clearly an artifact of great rarity, but to encounter the award presented to such a champion of the genre as Raymond Chandler is astounding. The issue of The Third Degree from March 1959 is also interesting for providing a six-page obituary and memorials to Chandler upon his death. The letter present here, addressed to Jean Fracasse in April 1959, reports that they were happy to have Chandler in person at a cocktail party not long before his death and that they were also pleased that on short notice they were able to have a representative at Chandler's funeral.