W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. Born in the British Embassy in Paris, where his father worked, Maugham was an orphan by the age of ten. He was raised by an uncle, who tried to persuade the youngster to become an accountant or parson; Maugham instead trained as a doctor, although he never practised professionally, as his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, was published the same year he qualified.

A year after his first novel was published Maugham began contributing to magazines and periodicals; initially these were short stories, but he also wrote opinion pieces, non-fictional and autobiographical work, and letters. Much of his non-fictional writing was published in book form, and covered a range of topics, including travel, current affairs, autobiography and belles lettres. Maugham was also editor on a number of works, which often included adding a preface or introductory chapter to the work of other writers. In 1903 his first play was performed, A Man of Honour at the Imperial Theatre, London. It was the first of many of his works that were produced for the stage, and with the later development of cinema, his novels and stories were also adapted for the big screen.

By the time of his death in 1965 Maugham was one of the most commercially successful and gifted writers of the twentieth century, according to Bryan Connon, his biographer; The Times obituarist called Maugham "the most assured English writer of his time", and wrote that "no writer of his generation ... graced the world of English letters with more complete or more polished assurance".

Novels and story collections

+ Novels and story collections of W. Somerset Maugham Title Year of firstpublication First edition publisher(London, unless otherwise stated) Notes Liza of Lambeth T. Fisher Unwin Novel T. Fisher Unwin Novel Orientations T. Fisher Unwin Short story collection Hutchinson Novel Mrs Craddock Heinemann Novel Heinemann Novel Chapman & Hall Novel Heinemann Novel Heinemann Novel Of Human Bondage George H. Doran Company, New York Novel Heinemann Novel George H. Doran Company, New York Short story collection Heinemann Novel Heinemann Short story collection; comprises six stories Ashenden: Or the British Agent Heinemann Short story collection Cakes and Ale: or, the Skeleton in the Cupboard Heinemann Novel Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Short story collection Ray Long & Richard R Smith Inc, New York Short story collection; comprises 20 stories Heinemann Novel Ah King Heinemann Short story collection The Judgement Seat Centaur Press Short story collection Cosmopolitans Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Short story collection Theatre Heinemann Novel Christmas Holiday Heinemann Novel Princess September and the Nightingale Oxford University Press, Oxford Short story collection Heinemann Short story collection Up at the Villa Heinemann Novel Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Novel House of Books Ltd, New York Short story collection Heinemann Novel Then and Now Heinemann Novel Creatures of Circumstance Heinemann Short story collection Catalina Heinemann Novel Quartet Heinemann Short story collection Trio Heinemann Short story collection by Maugham, screen adaptation by Maugham, R.C. Sherriff and Noel Langley Encore Heinemann Short story collection by Maugham, screen adaptation by Maugham, T.E.B Clarke, Arthur Macrae and Eric Ambler

Publications in periodicals

Title Date ofpublication Periodical Cosmopolis: A Literary Review Punch Punch Daily Mail Bystander Windsor Magazine Cassell's Magazine Printer's Pie Annual Story-Teller Cosmopolitan Asia North American Review Cosmopolitan Everybody's Magazine Daily Mail Asia Youth McClure's Magazine Saturday Review Pearson's Magazine Pearson's Magazine and Good Housekeeping Nash's Magazine International Magazine International Magazine Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan International Magazine Cosmopolitan Nash's Magazine Good Housekeeping Cosmopolitan The International Magazine Cosmopolitan International Magazine Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan Good Housekeeping Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine Harper's Bazaar International Magazine International Magazine Harper's Bazaar Harper's Bazaar International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine and August 1929 Britannia and Eve International Magazine International Magazine to July 1930 Harper's Bazaar International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine Life and Letters International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine – December 1932 International Magazine – 18 December 1932 Sunday Express International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine and Nash's Magazine Saturday Review Nash's Magazine Nash's Magazine International Magazine Nash's Magazine Nash's Magazine Nash's Magazine International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine Saturday Review International Magazine International Magazine International Magazine – November 1939 Redbook Publishers Weekly – April 1940 Redbook Redbook Redbook Redbook Redbook Redbook Redbook Redbook Reader's Digest Life – April 1942 Redbook Publishers Weekly Redbook Redbook Redbook Collier's International Magazine Redbook Redbook Redbook Good Housekeeping – May 1944 Redbook Good Housekeeping Scholastic Life Story Good Housekeeping Good Housekeeping Writer – June 1946 International Magazine Wings Good Housekeeping Good Housekeeping Scholastic Scholastic – December 1948 Continental Daily Mail Good Housekeeping – August 1949 International Magazine Winter 1949/50 Cornhill Magazine Summer 1950 Cornhill Magazine Winter 1950/51 Cornhill Magazine News Chronicle Letter to the editor John O'London's Weekly – October 1954 Theatre Arts Magazine Horizon Vogue – August 1962 Show

Collected editions

+ The short story collections of W. Somerset Maugham Title Year of firstpublication First edition publisher(London, unless otherwise stated) Notes East and West Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Altogether Heinemann Favourite Short Stories Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Garden City Publishing, Garden City, NY Here and There Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY East of Suez Avon Publishing, New York Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Heinemann Three volumes Heinemann Three volumes Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Heinemann Three volumes Heinemann Heinemann Husbands and Wives Pyramid Publications, New York Pyramid Publications, New York Selected Prefaces and Introductions Heinemann Heinemann Seventeen Lost Stories Doubleday, Doran & Co., Garden City, NY Maugham's Malaysian Stories Heinemann, Singapore edited and with an introduction by Anthony Burgess. Anthony Blond Uncollected writings, 1901–64

Editor

+ Works which W. Somerset Maugham edited Title Year of firstpublication Author First edition publisher(London, unless otherwise stated) Notes Baillie, London Co-edited with Laurence Housman Simpkin Marshall, London Co-edited with Laurence Housman Little, New York Traveller's Library Doubleday, Doran New York Reissued the same year as Fifty Modern English Writers Wisdom of Life: An Anthology of Noble Thoughts Watts, London With Joseph Frederick Green Oxford University Press, Oxford With introduction Tellers of Tales: One Hundred Short Stories from the United States, England, France, Russia and Germany Doubleday, Doran, New York Great Modern Reading: W. Somerset Maugham's Introduction to Modern English and American Literature Doubleday, New York David Copperfield Winston, New York Winston, New York Pride and Prejudice Winston, New York Old Man Goriot Winston, New York Wuthering Heights Winston, New York Winston, New York Madame Bovary Winston, New York Moby-Dick Winston, New York Stendhal Winston, New York War and Peace Winston, New York Macmillan, New York

Plays

+ The published plays of W. Somerset Maugham Title Date of firstperformance Location offirst performance Publisher Date ofpublication Notes A Man of Honour Imperial Theatre, London Chapman & Hall, London A play in four acts Lady Frederick Royal Court Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1903 Jack Straw Vaudeville Theatre Heinemann, London A farce in three acts; written in 1907 Mrs Dot Comedy Theatre Heinemann, London A farce in three acts; written in 1904 and originally titled Worthey's Estate Penelope Comedy Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1908 and originally titled Man and Wife The Explorer Lyric Theatre Heinemann, London A melodrama in four acts; written in 1899 The Tenth Man Globe Theatre Heinemann, London A tragi-comedy in three acts; written in 1909 Landed Gentry Duke of York's Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in four acts; written in 1910 Smith Comedy Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in four acts; written in 1909 The Land of Promise Lyceum Theatre, New York Bickers & Son, London A comedy in four acts The Unknown Aldwych Theatre Heinemann, London A play in three acts; written in 1920 The Circle Haymarket Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1919 Caesar's Wife Royalty Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1918 East of Suez Her Majesty's Theatre Heinemann, London A play in seven scenes; written in 1922 Our Betters Hudson Theatre, New York Heinemann, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1915 Home and Beauty Globe Theatre, Atlantic City Heinemann, London A farce in three acts; written in 1917 The Unattainable New Theatre Heinemann, London A farce in three acts; written in 1915 Loaves and Fishes Duke of York's Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in four acts; written in 1902 The Constant Wife Ohio Theatre George H. Doran Company, New York A comedy in three acts The Letter Playhouse Theatre Heinemann, London A play in three acts The Sacred Flame New York Doubleday, Doran & Co, New York A play in three acts The Bread-Winner Vaudeville Theatre Heinemann, London A comedy in one act; written in 1930 For Services Rendered Globe Theatre Heinemann, London A play in three acts; written in 1932 Sheppey Wyndham's Theatre Heinemann, London A play in three acts; written in 1932 Royalty Theatre Evans Brothers, London A comedy in three acts; written in 1908

+ Unpublished plays by W. Somerset Maugham Title Date of firstperformance Location offirst performance Notes Mademoiselle Zampa Avenue Theatre Ran for 20 performances only London Adaptation of a play by Abel Tarride Mrs. Beamish Not performed A comedy in three acts; written in 1917 Under the Circumstances Not performed A comedy in three acts Not performed A comedy in three acts; written in 1917 Love in a Cottage Globe Theatre A comedy in three acts; written in 1917 Not To-Night, Josephine! Not performed A farce; written in 1919 Worcester Theatre, Worcester, MA A play in three acts; written in 1924 Not performed A play in three acts; written in 1924 Not performed A play in three acts; written in 1928 Colonial Theatre Adaptation of a play by Luigi Chiarelli

Non-fiction