POINTS OF VIEW

London, England: William Heinemann Ltd, 1958. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1958. First edition. 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches: pp. 255. Dustjacket design (by Michael Harvey) in black and red lettering on sage-green background. Original 21s price to bottom of fold. Green cloth with Maugham's characteristic beehive symbol embossed in blind to front board, and still-bright gilt titling to spine, within contrasting red cloth panel, as well as publisher's name to similar red panel at bottom of spine. Beehive motif repeated in beige to dustjacket.

Faint, and not displeasing, pipe aroma. Some darkening, sunning, edgewear and very light shelf-rubbing and cracking to dustjacket spinecaps, and sunning around edges of interior front flaps. Light rubbing to edges and corners of boards. Text is unmarked. Binding tight. "Mr. Maugham has announced that this is the last book he will ever publish and since he seems to have a way of doing what he says he is going to do, we may safely assume that with this volume of essays he will take his leave of the reading public and so put an end to a relationship that with 'Lize of Lambeth' began just over sixty years ago. " (from front flap)

Essays on Goethe's novels, on his profoundly affecting meeting with Indian saint Ramana Maharshi (which inspired Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge); Works of Archbishop of Canterbury John Tillotson; The Short Story; and a concluding essay on three journalists.