Some time ago, one of my fellow bloggers over at SleuthSayers confessed his love for the 1998 Coen Bros. classic film, The Big Lebowski. At first glance, it’s just a harmless stoner movie. But its LA setting and the theme of persistent violence connects it to mystery fiction, specifically the work of Raymond Chandler, one of great practitioners/inventors of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction. The Dude is basically a private eye, hired to do a job, and ultimately prevails.

I read my fellow author’s post, and jumped in a few weeks later with my own reminiscence of my days in Italy, watching that movie over and over again with Italian subtitles. The movie was called Il Grande Lebowski, and now I have lines of dialogue—in both English and Italian—stuck in my brain forever.

You can read my post on that story, plus all the Lebowski swag I’ve collected over the years over at SleuthSayers. The link is here:

Il Grande Lebowski—and Beyond

The post that started it all, by Bob Mangeot, is here:

25 Years Later: Decoding The Big Lebowski

The books I reference in my post are these, and they are wonderful.

Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, by Adam Bertocci

This one basically reprints the entire script of the film, only it’s written as if William Shakespeare had written it. Hilarious.

Thug: Villainy! Why this confounded orb, such as men use to play at ninepins; what devilry, these holes in holy trinity?

Dude: Obviously thou art not a colfer.

I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski, by Green, Peskoe, et al.

This is the ultimate fan book, with interviews with many of the stars of the film. My copy, shown above, is the original cover and book. The authors have since released an updated 25th Anniversary edition that prominently features an intro by Jeff Bridges, the Dude himself. I gotta pick it up. I’ve linked to the new edition above.

Geez—I have to pause and think about it. Wow. It’s really been 25 years?

Lastly, you must check out the merch shop of artist Bill Green, co-author of the above book and the official swag designer of the Lebowski Fest forever. I’ve bought a ton of his excellent products over the years, including the bowling pins above, and the stickers and Maude print below.

Find Bill’s shop at this link. His work is really special. I’m thinking of picking up one of his Lebowski rugs for my office. It would really tie the room together.