Books

Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc, 1936. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Schwabe, Randolph. The first illustrated edition, one of 751 copies, quarto size, 698 pp., signed by both Maugham and Schwabe, with publisher's slipcase. William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) became a renowned author and playwright; this work, "Of Human Bondage", is now regarded as his masterpiece. The novel was made into a film on three separate occasions: in 1934 starring Bette Davis; in 1946; and again in 1964 starring Kim Novak. First published in 1915, this the first illustrated edition, issued as a limited edition (this no. 578 of 751 copies) signed by both the author and illustrator. The illustrations by Randolph Schwabe (1885-1948), a recognized British painter and etcher who, among many other achievements, was the Slade Professor of Fine Art at University College, London, for eighteen years. Schwabe also worked as a draughtsman, and his attention to detail and…

Of Human Bondage is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is a semi-autobiographical story about the life of a young man, Philip Carey, who struggles to find his identity and place in the world.