James M. Cain

The Postman Always Rings Twice

CA$110

Illustrated by Patrick Leger

Introduced By Steve Erickson

James M. Cain’s first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was an instant bestseller. This stunning Folio edition includes noirish illustrations by Patrick Leger and a preface by film critic Steve Erickson.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

CA$110
Book Details
 
Presentation Box & BindingBound in blocked cloth
Plain slipcase
Dimensions9” x 5¾ inches
FontSet in Photina
Pages136 pages
AuthorJames M. Cain
Illustrated byPatrick Leger
IllustrationFrontispiece and 6 full-colour illustrations
Publication Date16/08/2012
Editor's Notes
 
ames M. Cain was sitting on a park bench by the White House in 1914 when a voice inside him said, ’You’re going to be a writer.’ It was 20 years before his prediction came true but his varied career as a singer, crime reporter and insurance man proved vital to his notorious first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. Based on a real-life murder, the shocking story was an instant bestseller that inspired both fascination and outrage, and was banned in Boston for its plain-speaking portrayal of adultery and homicide. Translated into 18 languages, it epitomises the hardboiled roman noir and is regarded as one of the most important crime novels of the 20th century. In this edition, Patrick Leger’s dramatic illustrations and a preface by novelist and film critic Steve Erickson are perfect accompaniments to Cain’s cinematic prose.

About the Illustrator

Patrick Leger

Patrick Leger is a Brooklyn-based illustrator who studied at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A narrative illustrator using striking compositions, Leger works on editorial, book, advertising and animation commissions. His clients include The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Penguin, Apple and GQ, and his celebrated work on book covers has seen him commissioned for more than 70 to date.

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About the Illustrator

Patrick Leger

Patrick Leger is a Brooklyn-based illustrator who studied at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A narrative illustrator using striking compositions, Leger works on editorial, book, advertising and animation commissions. His clients include The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Penguin, Apple and GQ, and his celebrated work on book covers has seen him commissioned for more than 70 to date.

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About the Illustrator

Patrick Leger

Patrick Leger is a Brooklyn-based illustrator who studied at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A narrative illustrator using striking compositions, Leger works on editorial, book, advertising and animation commissions. His clients include The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Penguin, Apple and GQ, and his celebrated work on book covers has seen him commissioned for more than 70 to date.

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About the Illustrator

Patrick Leger

Patrick Leger is a Brooklyn-based illustrator who studied at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A narrative illustrator using striking compositions, Leger works on editorial, book, advertising and animation commissions. His clients include The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Penguin, Apple and GQ, and his celebrated work on book covers has seen him commissioned for more than 70 to date.

4 of 5

About the Illustrator

Patrick Leger

Patrick Leger is a Brooklyn-based illustrator who studied at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A narrative illustrator using striking compositions, Leger works on editorial, book, advertising and animation commissions. His clients include The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Penguin, Apple and GQ, and his celebrated work on book covers has seen him commissioned for more than 70 to date.

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Born in 1892, James Mallahan Cain had various careers before becoming a successful novelist, journalist and screenwriter. His first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934; Folio 2012, 2022), was his most successful and well-known. More novels followed, including Double Indemnity (1936), Mildred Pierce (1941) and The Butterfly (1947) and, although Cain became mostly known for his gritty crime fiction, he was also adept at portraying social drama. Cain continued writing and publishing until his eighties.

American novelist Stephen Michael Erickson is the author of a number of novels, including Days Between Stations (1985), Tours of the Black Clock (1989), The Sea Came in at Midnight (1999) and Zeroville (2007). Erickson received the Guggenheim fellowship in 2007, the American Academy of Arts and Letters award in 2010, and the Lannan Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.