Books

London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1928., 1928. First edition. First edition. 8vo. A clean, fine, bright copy in a fine bright dust jacket with light professional restoration to the flap folds and to the bottom edge of the lower rear panel. Queen's Quorum says, "Maugham's ASHENDEN lifts the secret service sleuth high above the conventional conception of the spycatcher. His emphasis is not on plot in the usual blood-and-thunder sense; Maugham is too crafty a craftsman to subordinate realism and depth of characterization to tricks and counter-tricks. Maugham proved that the secret service story, like the detective story, has come of age." A superb story about the British Secret Service. Maugham served in the British Intelligence Service in World Wars I and II. In 1914 he was part of a Red Cross unit in France, later acting as a secret agent in Geneva. In Petrograd he was involved in trying to prevent the outbreak of the Russian Revolution. His experiences are related in this…

A collection of interconnected stories based on Maugham's experiences as a British spy during World War I. The stories delve into the subtleties and complexities of espionage and are considered some of the earliest works of fiction in the spy genre.

The first edition of 'Ashenden' was published in 1928 by Heinemann Publishing, and the original printing includes a distinguishing dust jacket designed by William Nicholson.