Posts
Books and You. A Dissertation Upon Reading - W. Somerset Maugham
Books and You. A Dissertation Upon Reading (London: Heinemann, 1940)Books and You is a collection of three articles serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in February 1939, in them Maugham recommends books that he thinks all should read, using the criteria of readability, enjoyment, and most importantly, profit, that one would have missed something valuable if one has not read them.
In this post, we will look at some interesting points in the book and the first edition.
Books and You - Maugham…
W. Somerset Maugham in Camille (1926)
W. Somerset Maugham in the Film Camille (1926)I have stumbled upon a most interesting footage of W. Somerset Maugham "acting" in a short silent film, Camille, described as a home movie version of Alexandre Dumas fils's Camille, made by Ralph Barton. He was able to recruit an impressive cast, such as Anita Loos as Camille, Charlie Chaplin, Sinclair Lewis, Alfred Knopf, Theodore Dreiser, Paul Claudel, Max Reinhardt, Ethel Barrymore, and of course, W. Somerset Maugham.
It is a sile…
The Circle — W. Somerset Maugham
The Circle. A Comedy in Three Acts (London: Heinemann, 1921)This post will look at W. Somerset Maugham's play, The Circle, written in 1919 and first produced at Haymarket Theatre on 3 March 1921. As usual, I will describe the first printed edition of Maugham's work.
The Circle: An Unusual Maugham Comedy
The Circle was written during Maugham's very active creative period after his stay at the sanatorium in Scotland. The opening reminds one of Penelope in which the protagonist is missi…
Book and Magazine Collector - W. Somerset Maugham Issues
Book and Magazine Collector (November 1984, no. 9; January 1989, no. 58; June 2000 no. 195; September 2008, no. 298)In this post, I will look at several issues of the Book and Magazine Collector in which W. Somerset Maugham's novels, short stories, essays, and plays are discussed.
Book and Magazine Collector for Book Collectors
I came across this magazine quite by accident, and a happy accident in this case. I was buying a book from The Sanctuary Bookshop (Lyme Regis, Dorset), and when they…
Ashenden - W. Somerset Maugham
Ashenden or The British Agent (London: Heinemann, 1928)This post will look at W. Somerset Maugham's collection of short stories Ashenden. It will cover some comments of contemporary reviews and the description of two editions. At the end of this post, you will find a link to some of the chapters.
Ashenden: Contemporary Review
On the whole, it is a specimen of Somerset Maugham writing in second gear. In the course of the Spring and Summer you are apt to see it prevalent in steamer chairs an…