{"product_id":"ashenden","title":"Ashenden","description":"\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eHe was a spy. He was a writer. He was not sure which was more dishonest.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eW. 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThis is Maugham at his most dry and devastating: a collection that influenced generations of spy novelists, from Ian Fleming to John le Carré. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAshenden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eFirst published in 1928, based on Maugham's own experiences as a British intelligence agent during World War I\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eA major influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond series and the modern spy genre\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eFeatures sixteen stories of espionage, betrayal, and moral ambiguity\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAvailable in multiple formats:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003ePaperback \u0026amp; Hardcover:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eEbook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAudiobook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eA 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eW. Somerset Maugham\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e (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, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eLiza of Lambeth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e (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 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eOf Human Bondage\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e (1915), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe Moon and Sixpence\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e (1919), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eCakes and Ale\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e(1930), and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe Razor's Edge\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e (1944). Maugham died in France in 1965.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Casa Carlini","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":54685449617780,"sku":null,"price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ebook","offer_id":54685449650548,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":54685449683316,"sku":null,"price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":54685449716084,"sku":null,"price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0988\/5561\/6884\/files\/casa-carlini-simple-audiobook-ashenden-54005670936948.jpg?v=1779965574","url":"https:\/\/casacarlini.com\/products\/ashenden","provider":"Casa Carlini","version":"1.0","type":"link"}