Cakes and Ale - or - The Skeleton in the Cupboard -
William Somerset Maugham
1930 - William Heinemann Ltd, London - First Edition
“Enjoy yourself while you have the chance, I say; we shall all be dead in a hundred years and what will anything matter then?”
First edition, in outstanding example of the dust jacket, of Somerset Maugham's classic satirical novel; a story of literary poseurs, fame, hypocrisy and freedom, narrated by novelist William Ashenden, Maugham's alter-ego who had already appeared in 'Ashenden', the fictional account of his Secret Service work in World War I.
The book I like best is Cakes and Ale. It was an amusing book to write. Stott mentions that there were two states of the last word on page 147 line 14, one using the word ‘won’ the other, as in this copy, ‘won’t’. Stott states that 'this, however is not an issue, but a state of the printing. Both states were issued simultaneously as is established by the copies in the Statutory Library [who received examples of each]. There is also a misprint on p.181, line 4, which begins with 'in' instead of 'it', and a dropped letter 'I' at the end of line 22 on p.63. These misprints appear to be common to the whole of the first printing.’ Both these misprints are present in this copy.
One of 15,000 copies published on 29 September 1930.
Reference: Stott, ‘A Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham’, A40a.
Octavo (book size 19.1x13.1cm), pp. [6] 270. Publisher's Persian blue linen-grain cloth spine lettered in gilt and black, front panel with lettering in gilt and author’s symbol in black, rear panel with publisher’s device in black. Dust jacket priced ‘7/6 NET’ to the spine. Condition: Fine in fine jacket but for some very light rubbing to some corners. Ref: 112184 Price: HK$ 7,000
First edition, in outstanding example of the dust jacket, of Somerset Maugham's classic satirical novel; a story of literary poseurs, fame, hypocrisy and freedom, narrated by novelist William Ashenden, Maugham's alter-ego who had already appeared in 'Ashenden', the fictional account of his Secret Service work in World War I.
The book I like best is Cakes and Ale. It was an amusing book to write. Stott mentions that there were two states of the last word on page 147 line 14, one using the word ‘won’ the other, as in this copy, ‘won’t’. Stott states that 'this, however is not an issue, but a state of the printing. Both states were issued simultaneously as is established by the copies in the Statutory Library [who received examples of each]. There is also a misprint on p.181, line 4, which begins with 'in' instead of 'it', and a dropped letter 'I' at the end of line 22 on p.63. These misprints appear to be common to the whole of the first printing.’ Both these misprints are present in this copy.
One of 15,000 copies published on 29 September 1930.
Reference: Stott, ‘A Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham’, A40a.
Octavo (book size 19.1x13.1cm), pp. [6] 270. Publisher's Persian blue linen-grain cloth spine lettered in gilt and black, front panel with lettering in gilt and author’s symbol in black, rear panel with publisher’s device in black. Dust jacket priced ‘7/6 NET’ to the spine. Condition: Fine in fine jacket but for some very light rubbing to some corners. Ref: 112184 Price: HK$ 7,000