Arcade Publishingsq, 2012. Soft cover. Near Fine. Near Fine in pictorial wraps (Softbound). Clean, tight, NO markings at all. An in depth and fabulous biography which '..portrays the secret loves, betrayals, integrity, and passions'.... that helped produce Maughams classic fiction ("The Razor's Edge'; "Of Human Bondage", etc). Two sections of b/w personal photographs. A large section of 'Source Notes and a Bibliography at rear. 626 pages. An incredible life. A great copy. Protected in a mylar slip.

Synopsis

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 fascinating 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.Hastings vividly presents Maugham's lonely childhood spent with unloving relatives after the death of his parents, a trauma that resulted in shyness, a stammer, and for the rest of his life an urgent need for physical tenderness. Here, too, are his adult triumphs on the stage and page, works that allowed him a glittering social life in which he befriended and sometimes fell out with such luminaries as Dorothy Parker, Charlie Chaplin, D. H. Lawrence, and Winston Churchill.The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham portrays in full for the first time Maugham's disastrous marriage to Syrie Wellcome, a manipulative society woman of dubious morality 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 and a cad. Maugham's courageous 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 restless and 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.An epic biography of a hugely talented and hugely conflicted man, The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham is the definitive account of Maugham's extraordinary life.From the Hardcover edition.

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Details

Bookseller: Margins13 Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 003911
Title: The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham
Author: Hastings, Selina
Format/Binding: Soft cover
Book Condition: Used - Near Fine
Quantity Available: 1
Binding: Paperback
ISBN 10: 1611454352
ISBN 13: 9781611454352
Publisher: Arcade Publishingsq
Date Published: 2012
Keywords: Biography; British author bio; twentieth century author; Book about books;

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Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Pictorial Wraps: Pictorial wraps are color illustrated covers for paperback books. Preceding mass-market paperbacks, this format brought popular...