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Raymond Toole-Stott (1910–1982)

Forfatter af A Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham

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Omfatter også følgende navne: Raymond Stott, R. Toole-Stott, Raymond Toole Stott

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Fødselsdato
1910
Dødsdag
1982
Køn
male
Nationalitet
UK

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This 1956 work constitutes the second edition of Stott's bibliography of the writings of W. Somerset Maugham. It and its 1950 precursor, Maughamiana eventually were superseded by Stott's definitive 1973 edition Bibliography of the Works of W.Somerset Maugham. As compared to Stott's 1950 Maughamiana, this book is twice, the length. It provides more detail on Maugham's literary works and clarifies quite a number of bibliographical points. Its section on the collected works is much expanded, as are the sections on books and pamphlets edited by Maugham, and the author's contributions to periodicals. This work, unlike its predecessor, does not include references to the various foreign language editions of Maugham's fiction. Furthermore, oddly enough, its section on articles and books about the author is constricted from the earlier edition, a situation ameliorated by the 1964 supplement.

I have found a few valuable tidbits of information about some of Maugham's stories that were not carried over into the 1973 Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham. However, the latter volume -- being much more comprehensive and accurate -- best serves the needs of Maugham scholars and book collectors.

As a note of historical interest, scholars will note that Klaus Jonas published a 1950 Maugham bibliography and 1950 addendum, More Maughamiana . A careful comparison with Stott's work indicates that the efforts were partly, if not entirely, independent. However, in this 1956 work, Stott essentially accuses Jonas of having based his 1950 bibliography on his own, a charge that he repeats in his 1973 bibliography.
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danielx | Jun 10, 2012 |
This small 1964 publication is a 22 page supplement to the 1956 edition of The Writings of William Somerset Maugham: A Bibliography. It makes several small additions to its precursor based on information uncovered by the author, as well as corrections of minor errors. It also expands the list of books and articles about Maugham and his work. The 1956 work and this supplement have been superseded by Stott's definitive 1973 edition Bibliography of the Works of W. Somerset Maugham.
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danielx | Jun 2, 2012 |
Raymond Toole Stott is the author of the definitive bibliography of W. Somerset Maugham’s works, published in 1973. http://www.librarything.com/work/10592093/book/85451934
The present book, Maughamiana is an early 1950 version of his efforts, and has vastly been superseded by the later volume. In comparing the two, I was impressed to see just how far Stott advanced our knowledge of Maugham’s works over the intervening span of years. Indeed, Maughamiana weighs in at 72 pages with large margins, and I would estimate it at no more than 20% the length of the 1973 one.

Maughamiana presents detailed bibliographic information on the major books, plays, and other publications of Somerset Maugham. As it is intended for the collector, it gives information on how to recognize first editions and other significant editions, along with details of publication, contents, reprints, and in the case of the plays, first performances. The book is organized into five major sections: “Books” (including the novels, short story collections, and collected works); “Plays”; “Contributions to Books”; “Plays Novelised and Books Dramatised by Others”; “Contributions to Periodicals”; and “Biography and Criticism”. The contributions to periodicals offers useful charts that allow the reader to see at a glance the primary and secondary places each of many stories was published. Such a chart was not included in the 1973 edition.

Given the availability of the more recent volume by Raymond Stott, Maughamiana is chiefly of historical and scholarly interest. I have found it valuable in tracing when various obscure Maugham works were first recognized by bibliographers. For example, consider the 1969 book Seventeen Lost Stories. It largely consists of works said to be found by the editor Craig Showalter, but in fact, all were recognized in Maughamiana.

As someone interested in the totality of Maugham's literary contributions, I am glad I took the time to read this work cover-to cover, as it has some information that was dropped by the later edition. For one thing, there are several tidbits of information (emanating from Mr. Stott’s vast store of knowledge) that are of interest to the scholar. For example, we learn that the reason so few copies were published of Maugham’s first novel Liza of Lambeth was that (as quoted from an executive at T. Fisher Unwin) the publisher was highly skeptical as to “whether the book should be published at all…” that “on the day of publication the office was in a state of nervous apprehension” (p. 3). This information is not included in the 1973 edition, and I do not recall seeing it quoted elsewhere. The Hero (1901) is said to be “possibly the scarcest of all the author’s novels” (p. 5). What’s more, given that Stott traveled extensively to examine first editions at various libraries, and he can offer details about (for example) first editions of Of Human Bondage at libraries in Scotland and England.

This volume also includes a more important type of information dropped from the 1973 edition, that being data on first editions of Maugham’s books in languages other than English. (If there is another source that provides this information in an accessible way, I have not encountered it.) Mr. Maugham apparently had no control over the titles given to his books when they were translated into other languages. Readers may be interested to see the particular titles that were given to his works.

It is certainly sensible that Of Human Bondage was published in French as Servitude Humaine and in Germany as Der Menschen Hörigkeit. Likewise, it is understandable that Ashenden was published (in Spanish) as El Agente Secreto. However Cakes and Ale became in the French edition La Ronde de l’Amour (“The Round of Love”) and in the Spanish one Rosie (a title that refers to an unforgettable major character, herself patterned after a lady to whom Maugham proposed marriage). The Moon and Sixpence was variously published as Soberbia (Spanish for “Pride”), Der Bessessene (German for “The Obsessive” or “The Possessed” – a fine description of the protagonist) -- and Het Donkere Vuur (Dutch for “The Dark Fire”). Theatre became To Ansigter in Danish, meaning “Two Faces” and La Otra Comedia in Spanish, literally “The Other Comedy.” The Narrow Corner became Le Fugitif (in the French edition), Den Lille verden in the Danish one (meaning “The Small World.”), and El Paso del Hombre in the Spanish edition (a phrase that literally translates as “The Step of the Man”). The short story collection Ah King was published in Spanish as Ah King mi criado chino (“Ah King, My Chinese Servant” – arguably an improvement) and in French as La Femme dans la Jungle after one of the most memorable stories included. In France, The Painted Veil was released as La Passe Dangereuse (“The Dangerous Pass”), Then and Now became Plus ca Change (“The More Things Change”), The Casuarina Tree was released as Le Sortilege Malais (“The Malay’s Curse” again after an included story), and the play The Breadwinner became Le Pelican: Ou Une Etrange Famille (“The Pelican: Or A Strange Family”). And finally, the Spanish edition of Up at the Villa was published as La Imperfecta Casada (“The Imperfect Spouse”, if I am correct) and Creatures of Circumstance became La Joven Romantica (“ The Young Romantic”).

With the above list I have probably removed any remaining reason for all but the serious Maugham scholar or the die-hard collector to seek out this book. While I cannot award this book more than a couple of stars, that low rating reflects the enormous amount of progress made subsequent to its publication by this very author, progress that culminated in his 1973 "Bibliography of the Works of W.Somerset Maugham ".

Addendum: Klaus Jonas published a Maugham bibliography of similar size, also in 1950. The works are best regarded as independent, although Stott implicitly levels a charge of plagiarism against Jonas in his 1956 and 1973 bibliographies.
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danielx | May 16, 2012 |

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