false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg 31324 8 (Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)<br><br>From one of the twentieth century&#8217;s most enduringly popular fiction writers: the only hardcover edition of his short stories.<br><br>Though W. Somerset Maugham was also famous for his novels and plays, it has been argued that in the short story he reached the pinnacle of his art. These expertly told tales, with their addictive plot twists and vividly drawn characters, are both galvanizing as literature and wonderfully entertaining. In the adventures of his alter ego Ashenden, a writer who (like Maugham himself) turned secret agent in World War I, as well as in stories set in such far-flung locales as South Pacific islands and colonial outposts in Southeast Asia, Maugham brings his characters vividly to life, and their humanity is more convincing for the author&#8217;s merciless exposure of their flaws and failures. <br><br>Whether the chasms of misunderstanding he plumbs are those between colonizers and natives, between a missionary and a prostitute, or between a poetry-writing woman and her uncomprehending husband, Maugham brilliantly displays his irony, his wit, and his genius in the art of storytelling. 6532283 1921 Collected Stories total:289|5:126|4:127|3:31|2:5|1:0| 289 1241 406 17 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 1 false Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Nov 19 15:16:10 -0800 2007 Wed Nov 21 13:25:33 -0800 2007 more...]]> 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 1 false Tue Jul 21 05:16:47 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 05:18:59 -0700 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 4 0 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 26 13:07:06 -0800 2008 Wed Jul 02 18:45:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Mon Dec 29 21:00:03 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 21:03:08 -0800 2008 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 3 0 false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat May 09 12:12:30 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 12:14:38 -0700 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 3 0 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 15 18:41:44 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 18:42:43 -0700 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 3 0 false Wed Dec 31 11:12:22 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 14:42:37 -0800 2008 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Dec 09 15:10:24 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 15:10:24 -0800 2007 more...]]> 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 4 0 false Thu Nov 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 14:51:53 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 15:07:39 -0800 2008 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 4 0 false Tue May 15 11:21:05 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 01 14:12:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Fri Jul 06 15:44:15 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 06 15:47:03 -0700 2007 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 4 0 false Sun Dec 14 08:33:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jul 02 09:31:55 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 14 08:33:00 -0800 2008 601019 185715276X 9781857152760 3 1 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176172537m/601019.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/601019.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 19:54:28 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 16:03:39 -0700 2007 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jan 21 09:23:16 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 09:24:40 -0800 2008 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Oct 23 13:43:05 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 23 13:43:44 -0700 2007 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Tue Oct 14 17:41:18 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 14 17:41:52 -0700 2008 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Tue Jun 16 11:37:33 -0700 2009 Thu Feb 12 10:43:23 -0800 2009 Tue Jun 16 11:37:33 -0700 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 5 0 false Wed Dec 09 17:42:57 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 09 17:43:01 -0800 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 0 0 false Sun Dec 06 22:03:12 -0800 2009 Sun Dec 06 22:03:12 -0800 2009 31324 1400042534 9781400042531 275 16 4.29 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168274656m/31324.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31324.Collected_Stories 4 0 false Sat Dec 05 16:23:22 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 05 16:23:22 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=31324