There are few authors who have become so synonymous with one genre of fiction, as Raymond Chandler has done. Think of detective fiction involving a private eye and most people will immediately think of Philip Marlowe. Raymond Chandler's style of writing has been often imitated but no better style has ever been found for the genre.

Raymond Thornton Chandler was born on the 23rd July, 1888 in Chicago, Illinois. Raymond Chandler was the only son of Maurice Chandler, an American railroad worker and Florence Chandler. Maurice though was an alcoholic, and the two soon divorced. Upon confirmation of the divorce in 1895, Florence returned to England taking her son with her. Chandler therefore spent in childhood days in Upper Norwood in London, in a house with his mother, uncle, aunt and grandmother. Florence and Chandler were basically supported by his uncle, who was a prominent London lawyer.

School wise Chandler was predominantly educated at Dulwich College, from 1900, also in London, where he did reasonably well in what was best described as a classical education. Chandler had the opportunity to go to university but instead decided to spend time in Germany and France. Abroad he took time to study international law, but returned to England in 1907. In the same year he took on British nationality, mainly in an attempt to get a job with the Civil Service.

Chandler passed the Civil Service examination, and was one of the best in the year. This enabled him to take up a civil servant position within the Admiralty. It did not take him long though to realise that the Civil Service was not for him, and he resigned after twelve months in the role. This twelve months though had made him aware that he would prefer a literary career, and had even managed to get a poem published.

Looking to writing to make a living, Chandler turned his hand to journalism and as a reviewer, but he couldn't find anything to interest him as much as his own writings did. His own writing was actually mildly successful and by 1912 he had managed to publish twenty seven poems, and a "The Rose Leaf Romance", which was his first published short story.

Unhappy with his life in England, Chandler sought to return to America, something he achieved by borrowing money from his uncle. He struggled though any job to interest him, and have decided to live in Los Angeles, took jobs picking fruit and stringing tennis rackets. In search of a more steady income Chandler took a bookkeeping course

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