THE MIXTURE AS BEFORE

A top ranking story teller presents another grand collection, not a poor one in the lot. Maugham's expert craftsmanship is at is best in this medium, I think. These stories stem from other backgrounds than his familiar Far East setting, with England, the Continent and French Guiana as the basis. There are human interest bits, brief drama, humor; some have an O'Henry twist to the end; all show thorough understanding and sympathy with his fellow man. For the flavor of the whole try the lead story, The Three Fat Women of Antibes. The Lion's Skin, An Official Position and The Facts of Life.... It is unusual to list two volumes of short stories among Must Books, but the reputation of their authors and the fact that both volumes should have not only good sales value but the additional merit of being good rental material, justifies their inclusion under this heading.