An annotated list of things Raymond Chandler hated recently sold for $2000 at auction.

What do hard-boiled eggs, actors, aspirin, and railroad travel all have in common? They all incurred the ire of Raymond Chandler.

How do I know this? Because last Friday, Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers sponsored a sale of “the largest trove of unpublished Raymond Chandler stories, poetry, letters, books and personal artifacts to come to market.” The late noir writer known for his detective fiction (The Big Sleep) and classic screenplays (Double Indemnity) was part of a great pantheon of _____ crime writers. (The absent adjective would be insulting here, given how we know he doesn’t like his eggs.)

The archive belonged to Jean Vounder-Davis (formerly Jean Fracasse), Chandler’s one-time secretary turned fiancé turned muse. Pieces were sourced from her personal collection, and several were lovingly inscribed. But the man who brought us Philip Marlowe left behind many effects.

Up for auction were several of Chandler’s original manuscripts, a silk scarf, cocktail muddlers, fan mail, and the