Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
W. Somerset Maugham. Ashenden or The British Agent. William Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$193.24 + shipping
Description: A first edition copy of Ashenden or the British Agent by William Somerset Maugham. A first edition, first impression copy.William Somerset Maugham was an English writer known for his plays, novels and short stories.Ashenden or The British Agent is a collection of loosely linked stories party based on the author's experience as a member of the British Intelligence in Europe during the First World War. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, rather worn with fading to the joints, a small split to the head of the rear joint and bumping to the head and tail of the spine.Spine is pulled. Marks to the boards. Rear hinge is starting but remains firm. Internally, firmly bound with bright and clean pages. Good Only
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
W Somerset Maugham. Ashenden or the British Agent. William Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$251.21 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The first edition, first impression of this archetype espionage novel based on the author's own experiences. A collection of interlinked stories by W Somerset Maugham, forming a novel loosely based on the author's experiences as a member of the British Intelligence in Europe during the First World War. The first edition, first impression of this work matching all issue points noted in Stott'sA Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham A37a.The work was adapted into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, titled Secret Agent. From the library at Julian Park, Hertfordshire, belonging to Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie. Audrey was the youngest daughter of an Anglo-American lumber and steel millionaire, sister to Edward James, a key figure in the Surrealist movement, and the illegitimate granddaughter of King Edward VII. She was an English socialite known for her beauty and for charming various wealthy men, she was included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton. A patron of the arts, she assisted Viscount Carlow financially in the publication of limited editions of numerous works by leading literary figures such as T E Lawrence, James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and others. A hedonistic pursuer, she was recognised as one of the 'Bright Young Things'. In the original publisher's full cloth binding. Externally sound with some shelf wear and bumping to the head and tail of the spine, with minor chipping. With a light soiling to the boards. With a blank bookplate to the front pastedown. Internally, firmly bound. With a minor faint spotting scattered throughout, particularly to the first and last few leaves. Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
MAUGHAM, W. Somerset.. Ashenden: or The British Agent.. William Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Description: 304 pp. 8vo, publisher's blue cloth (lacking dust jacket). First edition. Stott A37a. Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Cloth rubbed at extremities; bottom of spine frayed; slight bubbling to the cloth; corners a little bumped. Tight and sound.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
W. Somerset Maugham. Ashenden, or the british Agent. William Heinemann, 1928.
Price: US$400.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: "Ashenden, or the British Agent" by W. Somerset Maugham. William Heinemann, London. 1928 first UK edition first issue. Book in good condition: original binding, with slight rubbing to edges, minor foxing, name to ffep. collection of loosely linked stories by W. Somerset Maugham. It is partly based on the author's experience as a member of British Intelligence in Europe during the First World War. Hitchcock based the Secret Agent on this.
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
Price: US$724.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Second Impression of this archetype of the espionage novel, a precursor to the works of Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, John le Carre, and Robert Ludlum. Publisher's dark blue linen-grain cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt. Without the scarce just jacket. Inscribed twice by Maughan: upside down on the rear end paper (presumably, his first attempt) and on the front end paper, "For Jack From WM." Very slight bubbling of cloth (as often), pages lightly toned, else about Fine. Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Stott A37a. Hubin (IV), p.198. Barzun & Taylor 2461. Pronzini & Muller, pp. 567-68 (a "nostalgic glimpse into an intrigue-filled world"). Originally published as short stories, then in this single volume in the guise of a novel, based on Maugham's espionage experiences in the Great War. Alfred Hitchcock adapted two of the stories for his film The Secret Agent. "What is new here is the flat dull tone that later writers so successfully exploited as a set-off for violent and unexpected events." (Barzun & Taylor) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).
Seller: Fine Editions Ltd, Lancaster, PA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1750.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing. Hard cover 8vo in blue cloth w/gold titles. Near Fine/No DJ (mylar cover). Edgewear and scuffs front panel, owner note front endpaper, else Fine and unmarked. JOHN GIELGUD'S BOOK w/handwritten home address and bookplate front pastedown. He starred in the 1936 movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock. Talk about cachet. 304pp.
Seller: BASEMENT BOOKS, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
MAUGHAM, W. Somerset.. Ashenden or The British Agent.. London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1928, 1928.
Price: US$1932.39 + shipping
Description: First edition, first impression, of this accepted masterpiece of spy fiction, a noted source of inspiration for Ian Fleming, le Carré, and countless other spy-thriller writers. "Of all fictitious spy stories, Ashenden's adventures come nearest to the real-life experiences of his creator" (Masters, p. 65). This collection of interconnected short stories is based on the author's time working in the British Secret Intelligence Service. It follows the adventures of the titular character as he operates for SIS during the First World War in Switzerland and other countries across Europe and Asia under the cover of being an author. The book provided the source material of the 1936 film The Secret Agent, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Toole-Stott A37a. Anthony Masters, Literary Agents: The Novelist as Spy, 1987. Octavo. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery in dark green morocco, spine lettered and framed in gilt, gilt ruling on covers, board edges, and turn-ins, patterned endpapers, edges gilt. A fine copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
W. Somerset Maugham. Ashenden. William Heinemann Ltd, UK, 1928.
Price: US$3220.66 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham First Edition William Heinemann Ltd 1928. A near fine copy that has no previous owner's inscriptions or markings. Clean throughout and no foxing to contents or edges. Covers are bright, unblemished and have no dulling to gilt lettering nor toning to spine. In a near fine dust jacket with some minor (imperceptible) conservation. Still very much vibrant and with no fading. Publisher's printed price of 7/6 to spine. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Queen's Quorum 78. "Ashenden" by W. Somerset Maugham is a collection of interconnected short stories that provide a glimpse into the world of espionage during World War I. The titular character, Ashenden, is a British writer who becomes a spy for the British Secret Service. Set against the backdrop of Europe during the war, the stories follow Ashenden's experiences as he undertakes various undercover missions, navigates through treacherous situations, and interacts with a range of colorful characters. Maugham's narrative offers a realistic and often cynical portrayal of the espionage world, highlighting the moral complexities and personal challenges faced by those involved in the covert activities of wartime intelligence.
Seller: Brought to Book Ltd, London, United Kingdom
MAUGHAM W SOMERSET. Ashenden or the British Agent. Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$4296.36 + shipping
Description: (London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1928). First UK Edition. Publisher's slate blue cloth lettered in gilt with author's & publisher's device in black. Minuscule rubbing to the bottom edge of the front and back boards otherwise a near fine (or better) really bright copy in a VG+ D/W priced 7/6 to the spine with a slither of loss at the head and tail of the spine and a neat (almost invisible) archival repair (by one of the World's leading paper conservators) to a small chip to the left hand corner of the front cover. Usual slight fading to the spine. Provenance: Housed in a custom-made box. Book-plate of Stuart B Schimmel (a respected collector of rare books) to the front pastedown. Haycraft Queen Cornerstone and Queen's Quorum. The basis for the 1936 British espionage thriller film "The Secret Agent" directed by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from the play by Campbell Dixon, which in turn was loosely based on two stories from Ashenden. *The Secret Agent starred Madeleine Carroll, John Gielgud, Peter Lorre and Robert Young. Photographs/scans available upon request.
Seller: James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA., LEICESTER, United Kingdom
MAUGHAM W SOMERSET. Ashenden or the British Agent. Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$4637.75 + shipping
Description: (London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1928). First UK Edition. Publisher's slate blue cloth lettered in gilt with author's & publisher's device in black. Minuscule rubbing to the boards otherwise a near fine (or better) copy in a VG+ D/W priced 7/6 to the spine with a 2 cm closed tear and associated crease at the top left hand corner of the spine. There are also a couple of small chips at the top and bottom right hand corner of the spine but with none of the usual fading to the spine. Provenance: Adrian Homer Goldstone (noted collector and bibliographer, with his book plate on the front paste-down). Haycraft Queen Cornerstone and Queen's Quorum. The basis for the 1936 British espionage thriller film "The Secret Agent" directed by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from the play by Campbell Dixon, which in turn was loosely based on two stories from Ashenden. *The Secret Agent* starred Madeleine Carroll, John Gielgud, Peter Lorre and Robert Young. Photographs/scans available upon request.
Seller: James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA., LEICESTER, United Kingdom
MAUGHAM, W. Somerset. Ashenden or: The British Agent. William Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$6800.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition. One corner a little bumped, very slight rubbing at the extremities, very near fine in just about fine dustwrapper with some tiny nicks, mostly at the crown. Basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film *The Secret Agent* with Madeleine Carroll, John Gielgud, and Peter Lorre. A lovely copy of this title listed in both *Queen's Quorum* and as a *Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone*.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
MAUGHAM, W. SOMERSET.. ASHENDEN OR THE BRITISH AGENT.. William Heinemann, Ltd., 1928., London, 1928.
Price: US$7500.00 + shipping
Description: 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 collection and influenced Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. Basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film THE SECRET AGENT with Madeline Carroll, John Gielgud, and Peter Lorre. Selected for both the Haycraft-Queen and Queen's Quorum high spot lists. A superb copy of this key title and scarce in this condition. Housed in a custom-made cloth clamshell case with titles on the spine. An exceptional copy.
Seller: BUCKINGHAM BOOKS, ABAA, ILAB, IOBA, GREENCASTLE, PA, U.S.A.
Maugham, W. Somerset. Ashenden or The British Agent. William Heinemann, London, 1928.
Price: US$8500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Printing. A Queen's Quorum and Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone title. Book is as new. Signed by W. Somerset Maugham on a tipped in page "In recollection of a happy hour W.Somerset Maugham San Francisco 20 Jan 1939" Dustjacket has the correct 7/6 price on the spine. Dustjacket corners have small, almost invisible, expert repair. Overall, a beautiful copy, rare in this condition. Book is protected in a custom cut clear mylar cover. All books are carefully wrapped and shipped in a box.
Seller: Cahill Rare Books, Mission Viejo, CA, U.S.A.