This final classic collection of stories reveals Somerset Maugham`s unique talent for exposing and exploring the bitter realities of human relationships. Brilliant tales of love, infidelity, passion and prejudice, the stories range from `The Lotus Eater` in which a man has a vision of a life of bliss in the Mediterranean, to the astringent tales of `The Outstation` and `The Back of Beyond` in Malaya and South East Asia. Largely set in favourite Maugham country, this colourful collection brilliantly evokes the numbered days of the British Empire.