Liza Of Lambeth Maugham, William Somerset Modern First Editions

First edition. Original green cloth with gilt titles and vignette by Henry Bishop, WITH: An autograph three page letter from Maugham to his literary agent William Morris Colles tipped in to front endpaper. A very good copy with a hint of toning to the spine and hinges tender. The author's first book. The book contains a fine, early letter to Maugham's literary agent, William Colles, dated to October 11 [1898]. In it, Maugham informs Colles that he has sent manuscripts of two short stories to Thomas Unwin, his publisher, hoping he will "accept these two as my best work". These two stories were likely drafts of those later published in his third book "Orientations". He also bemoans Unwin's failure to pay him for his work, noting that he had "had nothing but the £50 on acct of the Making of a Saint", and asking frankly whether "it is not about time that Unwin should pay me something?.of the £40 that Unwin said he got [from the American publisher] I have received nothing." The letter dates to the beginning of Maugham's career as a writer and provides an insight into his early work and relationships with both his agent and his publisher. Toole Stott A1