Ashenden

He was a spy. He was a writer. He was not sure which was more dishonest.

W. Somerset Maugham's groundbreaking collection of short stories is one of the first works of modern spy fiction—a genre-defining masterpiece that inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond series and forever changed how we think about espionage.

The protagonist, Ashenden, is a disillusioned British playwright recruited by British Intelligence during World War I. He is not a hero. He is not a trained operative. He is a writer who is given a gun, a code name, and a series of assignments that take him across Switzerland, Russia, and the Mediterranean. He does not fight in glamorous shootouts. He waits in dreary hotel rooms. He reads passports. He stages elaborate deceptions that depend on psychology, not violence. He is sent to spy on a man who claims to have written a novel Ashenden has never heard of, to seduce a beautiful woman who may be working for the Germans, to deliver a poisoned chocolate box to an enemy agent who is already dying of consumption.

The stories are spare, ironic, and deeply cynical. Espionage, Maugham suggests, is not about heroism but about boredom, moral compromise, and the quiet desperation of men and women who have lost their illusions.

This is Maugham at his most dry and devastating: a collection that influenced generations of spy novelists, from Ian Fleming to John le Carré. Ashenden is not a book about adventure. It is a book about the loneliness of the spy, the absurdity of the trade, and the strange, quiet courage required to keep pretending.

• First published in 1928, based on Maugham's own experiences as a British intelligence agent during World War I

• A major influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond series and the modern spy genre

• Features sixteen stories of espionage, betrayal, and moral ambiguity

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the most dangerous spies are the ones who never fire a shot.

About the Author

W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer, one of the most popular and highest-paid authors of his time. Born in Paris, he was orphaned as a boy and sent to live with an emotionally distant uncle. He studied medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital in London, but the success of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), won him over to letters. During and after World War I, he worked as a spy for the British Secret Intelligence Service. The character of Ashenden was based on his own experiences as an agent in Switzerland and Russia. His masterpieces include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Cakes and Ale(1930), and The Razor's Edge (1944). Maugham died in France in 1965.