Posts
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham - First Edition First Issue
Of Human Bondage (New York: George H. Doran, 1915)This is an occasion for celebration. Finally I got the first edition first issue of Of Human Bondage! It is indeed a heavy book, in total 400g heavier than a later edition that I own (yes, I did put them on the kitchen scale...).
The first issue is distinguished by a misprint on p. 257, line 4, the famous "help," which is corrected in the second issue. Naturally, the one with error fetches higher price (this sentence sounds funny, alm…
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham - First Edition Third Issue
The Moon and Sixpence (London: Heinemann, 1919)Added recently to my acquisition is the first English edition of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel The Moon and Sixpence. This is the third copy of The Moon and Sixpence that I own. Yes, I know, can’t help it. I do like the book very much and just finish rereading it again.
The Moon and Sixpence
The last time I read Of Human Bondage was a year ago. When I reread The Moon and Sixpence (again), I would say that it marks a very important shift in Maugham…
Landed Gentry by W. Somerset Maugham
Landed Gentry. A Comedy in Four Acts (Chicago: The Dramatic Publishing Company, 1913)This post is about a play by W. Somerset Maugham. I possess a different copy this time. Instead of the first edition published by Heinemann, I have the US edition for a change. Moreover, I will show at the end of this post some photos published in The Play Pictorial, which are of interest to look at.
Landed Gentry - Storyline
The play was written in 1910 and performed in the same year, on October 15, at the D…
The Hero by W. Somerset Maugham - First Edition
The Hero (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1901)This post is about a much ignored novel by W. Somerset Maugham, which probably deserves to be forgotten for all I hear, but quoting from the very same book:
If James had learnt anything, it was at all hazards to think for himself, accepting nothing on authority, questioning, doubting; it was to look upon life with a critical eye, trying to understand it, and to receive no ready-made explanations. (241)
This book that Maugham himself believes has n…