The Gentleman In The Parlour

The Gentleman In The Parlour
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1409088022

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PAUL THEROUX Somerset Maugham's success as a writer enabled him to indulge his adventurous love of travel, and he recorded the sights and sounds of his wide-ranging journeys with an urbane, wry style all his own. The Gentleman in the Parlour is an account of the author's trip through what was then Burma and Siam, ending in Haiphong, Vietnam. Whether by river to Mandalay, on horse through the mountains and forests of the Shan States to Bangkok, or onwards by sea, Maugham's vivid descriptions bring a lost world to life.

Of Human Bondage

Of Human Bondage
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Graphic Arts Books
Total Pages: 573
Release: 2021-05-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1513288253

Of Human Bondage (1915) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Inspired by his experiences as an orphan and young student, Maugham composed his masterpiece. Adapted several times for film, Of Human Bondage is a story of tragedy, perseverance, and the eternal search for happiness which drives us as much as it haunts our every move. Orphaned as a boy, Philip Carey is raised in an affectionless household by his aunt and uncle. Although his Aunt Louisa tries to make him feel welcome, William proves an uncaring, vindictive man. Left to fend for himself most days, Philip finds solace in the family’s substantial collection of books, which serve as an escape for the imaginative boy. Sent to study at a prestigious boarding school, Philip struggles to fit in with his peers, who abuse him for his intelligence and club foot. Despite his struggles, he perseveres in his studies and chooses his own path in life, moving to Heidelberg, Germany and denying his uncle’s wish that he attend Oxford. As he struggles to become a professional artist, Philip learns that one’s dreams are often unsubstantiated in the world of the living. Of Human Bondage is a tale of desire, disappointment, and romance by a master stylist with a keen sense of the complications inherent to human nature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Up at the Villa

Up at the Villa
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: DigiCat
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2022-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Up at the Villa" by W. Somerset Maugham. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil
Author: William Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 300
Release: 1925
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Kitty Fane's affair with Assistant Colonial Secretary Townsend is interrupted when she is taken from Hong Kong by her vengeful bacteriologist husband to work in a cholera epidemic.

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham
Author: Selina Hastings
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 914
Release: 2012-07-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1611457041

He was a brilliant teller of tales, one of the most widely read authors of the twentieth century, and at one time the most famous writer in the world, yet W. Somerset Maugham’s own true story has never been fully told. At last, the truth is revealed in a landmark biography by the award-winning writer Selina Hastings. Granted unprecedented access to Maugham’s personal correspondence and to newly uncovered interviews with his only child, Hastings portrays the secret loves, betrayals, integrity, and passion that inspired Maugham to create such classics as The Razor’s Edge and Of Human Bondage. Portrayed in full for the first time is Maugham’s disastrous marriage to Syrie Wellcome, a manipulative society woman who trapped Maugham with a pregnancy and an attempted suicide. Hastings also explores Maugham’s many affairs with men, including his great love, Gerald Haxton, an alcoholic charmer. Maugham’s work in secret intelligence during two world wars is described in fascinating detail—experiences that provided the inspiration for the groundbreaking Ashenden stories. From the West End to Broadway, from China to the South Pacific, Maugham’s remarkably productive life is thrillingly recounted as Hastings uncovers the real stories behind such classics as Rain, The Painted Veil, Cakes & Ale, and other well-known tales.

Cakes and Ale

Cakes and Ale
Author: William Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday
Total Pages: 528
Release: 1967
Genre: Authors
ISBN:

Ashenden

Ashenden
Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2023-01-01T20:46:22Z
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

During World War I W. Somerset Maugham, already by then an established playwright and author, was recruited to be a British intelligence agent. These stories reflect his wartime experiences in intelligence gathering. Though fictionalized, they managed to retain enough authentic elements for Winston Churchill to advise Maugham that their publication might be a violation of the Official Secrets Act, resulting in the author burning an additional 14 stories. Set in various locales across the continent, these remaining Ashenden stories are a precursor to the jet-setting spy novels of the 1950s and 1960s. Maugham is known as a master short story writer and these stories are no exception, combining wit and realism to create memorable characters in a unique and highly critical portrait of wartime espionage. Initially released to a mixed reception—with an early review by D. H. Lawrence being especially scathing—Ashenden has since been credited as an inspiration for numerous authors, including John Le Carré, Graham Greene, and Raymond Chandler. The latter in particular was especially impressed, writing in 1950, “There are no other great spy stories—none at all. I have been searching and I know.” This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

The Jackie Morris Book of Classic Nursery Rhymes

The Jackie Morris Book of Classic Nursery Rhymes
Author: Jackie Morris
Publisher:
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2021-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781913074050

A wonderfully illustrated and sumptuous collection of nursery rhymes for all ages, including many favorite rhymes as well as some that will be a delightful discovery. Originally published as The Cat and the Fiddle in 2011, this edition includes a new introduction by Jackie Morris--a spirited defense of the nursery rhyme, which she fears is in danger of being forgotten in a digital world. The beautiful and detailed watercolor paintings combine with more than 40 rhymes to make this a unique treasury and lifetime possession for children and adults of all ages.