MAUGHAM, W. Somerset.
The Unattainable: A Farce in Three Acts.
London: William Heinemann Ltd , 1923.
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First Edition of W. Somerset Maugham's The Unattainable; Inscribed by Him to New York Book Collector Norman Unger
First edition of Maugham's classic work. Duodecimo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "This play was acted under the title of Carolinio. W. Somerset Maugham for Norman Unger." The recipient, Norman Unger, was a legendary New York book collector who collected the works of modern authors for more than 30 years and often befriended them. In near fine condition with toning to the endpapers. From the collection of Craig V. Showalter with his bookplate to the rear pastedown.
According to Maugham's bibliographer Raymond Toole Stott, The Unattainable was written much earlier than its publication, in the year 1915, when Maugham was involved in his spying activities in Switzerland. The play was first performed at the New Theatre on February 8, 1916, under the title Caroline, which is the name of the heroine. Maugham was persuaded to change the play's name by the producer, before reverting to his preferred original title for the published edition in 1923. The play is a sarcastic comment on the human longing for the unattainable, which, once it becomes attainable, ceases to be desirable, a characteristically Maughamesque theme delivered with what one reviewer described as his corrosive humour at its best - acidic and biting, yet irresistibly comic. Caroline's two self-indulgent friends, Isabella and Maude, create the comic effect by badgering Caroline and Robert to fulfil public expectation, while two additional characters, Rex Cunningham, a young admirer of Caroline, and Dr. Cornish, a typical Maugham raisonneur, are deployed to twist the knife and drive the thematic point home.
The Unattainable: A Farce in Three Acts.
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