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W. Somerset Maugham
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Summing Up Paperback – January 1, 1992

by W. Somerset Maugham (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars (185)
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THE SUMMING UP represents Maugham's life and philosophy in his own words. It is autobiographical in nature, though most of the work is concerned with Maugham's unique and fascinating opinions on the theatre, writing, metaphysics and the interesting people he encountered in his long and successful career. His style is very conversational and you feel yourself settling into an intellectual odyssey led by a man who lived life to its fullest. Sixty years after THE SUMMING UP was published, Maugham's controversial insights and opinions continue to stimulate conversation and debate. This is one of the most entertaining, self-revealing pieces of all time.
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  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Viking Pr
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    014018600X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140186000
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Pr
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1992
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 014018600X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140186000
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #5,269,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars (185)

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W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
185 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book's writing style lucid and witty, and consider it well worth the time spent reading. They appreciate its insight, with one customer noting it's filled with life wisdom.
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8 customers mention insight, 6 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the book insightful, with one review noting it is filled with life wisdom, while another describes it as a self-perceptive narrative.
Insightful...Read more
...This gem should be a required textbook in psychology, philosophy, & religion classes---despite the occasional somewhat archaic word expressions...Read more
...He was very rarely profound, but highly observant and astonishingly witty on occasions....Read more
...that we all go through in a manner that is humanistic and inspiring, and above all helpful ....Read more
8 customers mention writing style, 8 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as lucid and witty, with one customer noting it's essential reading for aspiring writers.
...-think one's attitudes & philosophies while appreciating the beautiful writing style....Read more
...is a wonderful read for all authors and would be authors and other creative people and was purchased as a gift because there is no way I would ever...Read more
One of the finest writers in the English language...Read more
This gem of a book is a must for every aspiring writer who seeks to devlop a style, both lucid and beautiful....Read more
6 customers mention value for time, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book worth the time spent reading and describe it as interesting.
...It is a book worth re-reading. It is very personal and glows with authenticity, a light in our world of artifact. .Read more
...Well worth the time spent reading. Read it !Read more
...I read this book first when I was eighteen and found it fascinating and very useful....Read more
...the occasional somewhat archaic word expressions that are precise, interesting, & understandable.Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • jerry
    5.0 out of 5 stars wisdom
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    His best book other than of Human Bondage. The book portrays the
    personal struggles and hardships that a creative Playwright, short story writer
    and novelist endures. His depressions and conflicts, personal deprecations
    that we all go through in a manner that is humanistic and inspiring, and above all
    helpful . His writing just flows in his lucid trademark and we feel we know him
    and we take valuable gems of pure wisdom from him, through the pages of his book.
    It is his life, his triumphs and bitter disappointments they are all there. It is a book
    worth re-reading. It is very personal and glows with authenticity, a light in our world of artifact. .
    17 people found this helpful
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  • R. J. Marsella
    4.0 out of 5 stars a conversation with a cultured friend
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2001
    Format: Paperback
    This is much more a rambling collection of random thought that occassionally organizes around a subject such as theatre or philosophy and then moves on. Reading it is like sharing a conversation over a brandy with a congenial and intellegient old friend. For fans of Maugham this is an enjoyable read which provides insight into how much of his personal experience is reflected in his works such as Of Human Bondage and Moon and Sixpence. While not necessarily agreeing with him on every point that he makes ,I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and would deem him a person well worth knowing. Like all his works ,this is extraordinarily well written and lucid. If you are unfamiliar with his novels or short stories or are looking to try reading him for the first time I would recommend starting elsewhere. This requires some experience with his work to be fully appreciated.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Peteklat
    5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant essay from a great writer.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Maugham made his name with plays, novels and short stories. He was very rarely profound, but highly observant and astonishingly witty on occasions. The Summing Up is one of his last works and gives us some indication of his personal philosophies. It is not a "confession" (you would never get that from him) but it is a very self perceptive narrative of his life as a writer. If you wantto know more about the real Maugham read Selina Hastings book "The Secret lives of William Somerset Maugham"
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Ananth Sundararajan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a great book to read and bnefit from
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This gem of a book is a must for every aspiring writer who seeks to devlop a style, both lucid and beautiful. I read this book first when I was eighteen and found it fascinating and very useful. I have been reading it off and on, now at 76 I still find it fascinatiing. I won't be surprised if people reading it hundred years from now find Maugham's style current.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Chang Choo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Summing up at the age of 64, for adding more patterns till 91
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    There was nothing, even a sentence, to throw away in this short essay, consisting of 77 sections. The book is filled with life wisdom, intelligent remarks, and objective views. I enjoyed this book which I thought boring when young, and am keeping on my desk till the end of my life, along with Andre Gide's fruit of the earth.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reza Vahab
    4.0 out of 5 stars Read the book if you are a Maugham fan
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2001
    Format: Paperback
    I do not mean to discourge pepole from reading this book if they are not Maugham's fans. I have read the book twice or three times. In the book he summarizes his life and he has something to say just about everything. I found his philosophical discussions intersting. He is also a master of literary criticism and you learn a lot about the art of fiction as well as many artists, writers and famous people of his time. This is not a book for people interested in his biography, but a philosophical book about how he lived his life and how you should live if you go by his opinions. I highly recommend it to Maugham's fans and people studying literature and arts.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • ProfZeb
    5.0 out of 5 stars but I loved it. He may not have been a man ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book floored me with its intelligence and perception. Maughm writes in the grand old style and he may be too deeply grounded in the grand tradition for some readers, but I loved it. He may not have been a man one wanted to have as companion on a long car trip, but his ideas ring with clarity.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Jay Parker
    3.0 out of 5 stars Concerns on reading Maugham
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2000
    Format: Paperback
    In subject matter (the arts, philosophy) The Summing Up reminds me of the Journals of Andre Gide. However, unlike when reading Maugham, when reading Gide, you immediately know that here is an author who wants to take you into his personal world, to share with you his most intimate thoughts & feelings. If reading is the food for personal growth, then Gide offers an entire layer of insights that Maugham would not want to discuss. I hope that any reader would question Maugham's vicious attack of Anton Chekhov in Chapter 56. One Chekhov story I will always cherish, The Lady with the Little Dog, totally fails to fit Maugham's criticisms. Harsh criticism without sound support points to hidden motives & intellectual dishonesty. Maugham's attack shows us his pride as he tries to build himself up by putting Chekhov down. Had Maugham been capable of humbleness, he might have given us the likely truth: "I envy Chekhov's talent." In Chapter 66, Maugham offers this frightening viewpoint, "I decided that right and wrong were merely words and that the rules of conduct were no more than conventions that men had set up to serve their own selfish purposes. The free man had no reason to follow them except in so far as they suited his conveniences." Is this freedom? Maugham speaks so well for those who choose to face destiny with bitterness. In his book Freedom & Destiny, Rollo May defines freedom differently: "... how you confront your limits." "...one can be free only as one is responsible..." "We have to have responsibility if we are to live with any harmony in community." In the last paragraph of The Summing Up, Maugham states, "But goodness is shown in right action and who can tell ... what right action is?" This irresponsible viewpoint could be used to rationalize almost any abuse against another human being. Rollo May can respond: "Without compassion, freedom can be self- righteous, inhuman, self-centered, and cruel." "Compassion limits our freedom, but it renders freedom human ..." - JP
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • アラ・ファイブ
    5.0 out of 5 stars 古典の原語。昭和の高校生のバイブル。
    Reviewed in Japan on November 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    ふと、懐かしくなって購入。学生時代が思い出されます。良い時代だったなあ。テーブルに、来るはずだった亡くなった友人の分もグラスをおく、、、、いいなあ。
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  • Kindle Aficionado
    5.0 out of 5 stars A reflection of life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Somerset Maugham's autobiographical work looks back on his life. He concentrates on the professional side of his life and does not reveal much of his personal life.
    He does, however, reveal how he lost belief in God and became an agnostic. As a boy he had an unhappy childhood,much of this as a result of a stammer. He put much of his own experiences in to his fiction e.g. On Human Bondage is largely autobiography.

    He writes beautifully as always, and the prose is a joy to read.
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  • BigOnFitness
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Maugham...
    Reviewed in Canada on November 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Highly recommended for people who love the work this author. Maugham is not easy to read but his views and observations are very refreshing and are as relevant to our days as they were back in 19th and 20th century. He will catch you by surprise and you will be willing to work through to discover more and more...To those who are not familiar with Maugham's writing style, I would suggest to start with his other works...
    Report
  • earnestdiscourse
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Insightul Read
    Reviewed in India on August 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Some books have the knack of changing the way you look at things and then moulding the manner in which you perceive your life thereafter. The Summing Up is just that sort of a book. A must read for any person, irrespective of their profession and literary inclination.
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  • Brother Thomas Pinto
    4.0 out of 5 stars Suncint way of expressing
    Reviewed in India on June 17, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Good for report writing
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