The Short Stories of William Somerset Maugham, Volume I

A selection of short stories written by William Somerset Maugham. 3 cassette tapes (Unabridged: 3 hours, 42 minutes). This volume includes the following unabridged works with music and sound effects: THE OUTSTATION is the simple tale of two men who, locked in bitter enmity, must nevertheless somehow get along in a remote British colonial outpost in post World War I Borneo. Mr. Warburton is the classic Edwardian snob. His new assistant, Cooper, is a crude bully. As tension between the two men increases, tragedy lurks. This is one of the greatest short stories in the English language! APPEARANCE & REALITY is an amusing story of a wealthy Frenchman and his new mistress. He is quite proud of his new conquest until he discovers there is a catch to the relationship. THE THREE FAT WOMEN OF ANTIBES is an extremely funny tale of three very large women and their attempt to maintain dietary discipline in the face of an unexpected challenge. Friendships are strained to the breaking point. MR. KNOW-ALL displays Maugham’s gift for humor with a subtle touch. A gadfly passenger on board a ship makes a nuisance of himself, but displays the supreme virtue of compassion in a situation that demands the ultimate in self-control and sacrifice. A masterpiece! FRENCH JOE is a very powerful tale of an expatriot Frenchman whose amazing adventures in life seem to count for nothing. His emotional death-bed confessions on a godforsaken South Pacific island are evocative and fascinating. But the wry conclusion is pure Maugham. MASTERSON, set in Southeast Asia, is filled with human compassion and poignancy. It is the story of a colonial whose search for a housekeeper lands him in an ardent attachment to a local native woman who wants more than he is prepared to bestow.