Book 2

The definitive edition of America’s modern master of crime fiction continues with four classic novels widely considered his best, presented in one volume for the first time with behind-the-scenes accounts of their genesis by editor Gregg Sutter, Leonard’s longtime researcher, and rare archival material: a must for any fan.  It was during the 1980s that Elmore Leonard came into his own as the most popular and critically acclaimed crime writer in America. The four novels collected here show him at the top of his form, each in its own distinct way: City Primeval is a modern-day Western pitched on the border between law and lawlessness, with Detroit as the frontier; LaBrava, set in Miami, orchestrates a complex scheme involving a long-forgotten film noir actress and an ex-Secret Service man turned photographer; Glitz plunges into the seedy world of Atlantic City casinos and into the twisted mind of the unforgettable Teddy Magyk, one of Leonard’s most indelible bad guys; and Freaky Deaky sets in motion a tumultuous ’60s flashback, laced with harsh and outlandish comic touches, as a pair of morally dubious veterans of Ann Arbor revolutionary politics try out some new scams.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Book 3

The definitive edition of an American master of crime fiction culminates with four modern classics. In Get Shorty, a Miami loan shark with an idea for a movie finds a way to break into Hollywood as a producer, the perfect setup for Elmore Leonard’s brilliantly satiric take on an industry he knew well. Rum Punch (filmed by Quentin Tarantino as Jackie Brown in 1997) shows an aging bail bondsman and an airline stewardess matching wits against lawmen and criminals alike. In Out of Sight, deputy U.S. marshal Karen Sisco and escaped bank robber Jack Foley find themselves thrust together in a highrisk fusion of violent adventure and unlikely romance; included as a special feature is “Karen Makes Out,” the story that introduced Sisco. The collection concludes with Tishomingo Blues, a kaleidoscopic story involving exhibition high divers, Civil War reenactors, and an unforgettable cast of gangsters and hustlers. This is Elmore Leonard at his unbeatable best.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Book 4

Library of America presents a definitive collection of classic Westerns by America's master modern crime writer

One of the great storytellers of our time, Elmore Leonard perfected his craft writing Westerns, a genre he loved. These tales--some adapted into such outstanding films as Hombre, Valdez Is Coming, and 3:10 to Yuma--are unexcelled for their wiry tautness, sharp characterizations, and jolts of unexpected humor. For sheer stripped-down narrative tension Leonard never did anything better, and the fresh twists he finds in resolving the genre's classic confrontations reveal a master at work. Whether describing a Civil War veteran coming back to find his homestead stolen (Last Stand at Saber River), a man raised by Apaches treated with contempt by the white settlers who will ultimately depend on him for their survival (Hombre), a local constable, tricked into killing an innocent man, fighting back against the powerful man who duped him (Valdez Is Coming), or two convicts in a desert prison--one African American and the other half-Apache--plotting a near-impossible escape (Forty Lashes Less One), Leonard's westerns are tough, suspenseful, convincing, and beautifully spare in style.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.