Cakes and Ale, or the Skeleton in the Cupboard
Price: $400.00
Sutherland, Graham. Hard Cover. London: William Heinemann, 1954. Eightieth Birthday Edition. Very Good / Dust Jacket Included.
Illustrated by Graham Sutherland with an original lithographed frontispiece and decorations, and 4 facsimile pages of original manuscript. Limited edition (Eightieth birthday edition). One of 1,000 numbered copies signed by Maugham and Sutherland on the limitation page, this being number 60. Publisher's half white calf over blue calf boards, divided by gilt rule, with black paper title label lettered in gilt to the spine, author's device to the front board in blind, top edge gilt, printed on laid paper; in its original tan paper dust jacket. Very good or better book, with some chipping to foot of spine, and light offsetting to endpapers, otherwise bright and fresh; poor dust jacket, with heavy chipping to rear panel, some shallow chipping to edges and spine ends, a couple of significant closed tears to spine, and "CAKES & ALE" in pencil to head of spine. Housed in publisher's black paper slipcase, with just some light wear to edges and corners. With most of the original mylar dust jacket, lacking rear flap, separated at the spine, and with some significant tears. Overall, a tight and clean copy. Stott A40d. Cakes and Ale is a satirical novel about the pretentiousness and snobbery of the London literary community. It's the story of Alroy Kear, an ambitious and aspiring young writer, who is trying to write a biography of the recently deceased novelist Edward Driffield and has contacted William Ashenden, Driffield's long-time friend and fellow author, about the deceased's past. Specifically, the men focus on Driffield's first wife, Rosie, an honest and free-spirited woman who is considered Driffield's "skeleton in the closet" because of her promiscuity, despite being the author's muse. This signed limited edition was published on January 24, 1954 to celebrate Maugham's 80th birthday. In his Preface, explaining why he chose to reissue the book, he writes, "I am willing enough to agree with common opinion that Of Human Bondage is my best work….But the book I like best is Cakes and Ale…because in its pages lives for me again the woman with the lovely smile with was the model for Rosie Driffield." Item #WSM036
