In 1976, the critic Paul Nelson spent several weeks interviewing his
literary hero, legendary detective writer Ross Macdonald. Beginning in
the late 1940s with his shadowy creation, ruminating private eye Lew
Archer, Macdonald had followed in the footsteps of Dashiell Hammett and
Raymond Chandler, but ultimately elevated the form to a new level. "We
talked about everything imaginable," Nelson wrote--including Macdonald's
often meager beginnings; his dual citizenship; writers, painters, music,
books, and movies he admired; how he used symbolism to change detective
writing; his own novels and why Archer was not the most important
character--"my God, everything." It's All One Case provides an open
door to Macdonald at his most unguarded. The book is far more than a
collection of never-before-published interviews, though. Published in a
handsome, oversized format, it is a visual history of Macdonald's
professional career, illustrated with rare and select items from one of
the world's largest private archives of Macdonald collectibles.
Featuring in full color the covers of the various editions of
Macdonald's more than two dozen books, facsimile reproductions of pages
from his manuscripts, magazine spreads, and many never before seen
photos of Macdonald and his friends (such as Kurt Vonnegut), including
those by celebrated photojournalist Jill Krementz. It's All One Case
is an intellectual delight and a visual feast, a fitting tribute to
Macdonald's distinguished career.
