The Making of a Saint. A Romance of Mediaeval Italy (1966)
Title
The Making of a Saint. A Romance of Mediaeval Italy (1966)
Creator
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965
Contributor
James, Gilbert (illustrator)
Farrar, John (foreword)
Hoffman, H. Lawrence (jacket design)
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date
1966
Description
"This Renaissance tale was Somerset Maugham's second novel. It was first published in 1898, when the author was twenty-three, and has been out of print and practically forgotten for years. Shortly after its publication, Maugham made every effort to suppress it, resorting to legal means in England and pleas and threats in the United States. The history of this suppression, which might well be the plot of one of Maugham's own novels, is told in the preface to this new edition.
"Maugham's first book, Liza of Lambeth, was based on his experiences as an intern working among the London poor. The Making of a Saint is a historical romance, a drama of Italy in the time of Lorenzo de' Medici. The title is a grim joke; the saint was a soldier of fortune, a man of many love affairs, who became involved in a conspiracy against Count Girolamo of Romagna. In 1898 The Bookman, in a review of the novel, stated, in part: 'We are shown, in strong and bold outline, Italy as it was at the end of the fifteenth century, when intrigue and assassination were recognised political methods, when no cruelty was too barbarous to be practised on an enemy, when women had apparently little of either faith or tenderness, and when those who escaped a violent death were ready, when they had had their day, to turn to the brown habit and hempen cord.'
"In The Making of a Saint the reader will find the gusto and early exuberance of one of the outstanding writers of our time, as well as a thumping good story" (from dust jacket).
"Maugham's first book, Liza of Lambeth, was based on his experiences as an intern working among the London poor. The Making of a Saint is a historical romance, a drama of Italy in the time of Lorenzo de' Medici. The title is a grim joke; the saint was a soldier of fortune, a man of many love affairs, who became involved in a conspiracy against Count Girolamo of Romagna. In 1898 The Bookman, in a review of the novel, stated, in part: 'We are shown, in strong and bold outline, Italy as it was at the end of the fifteenth century, when intrigue and assassination were recognised political methods, when no cruelty was too barbarous to be practised on an enemy, when women had apparently little of either faith or tenderness, and when those who escaped a violent death were ready, when they had had their day, to turn to the brown habit and hempen cord.'
"In The Making of a Saint the reader will find the gusto and early exuberance of one of the outstanding writers of our time, as well as a thumping good story" (from dust jacket).
Although Stott doesn't give this edition an entry, he does mention it, especially the foreword by Farrar.
Collation:
p. [ii] half-title, p. [iv] title, p. [v] copyright, pp. v-xxiv FOREWORD, page nos. change, p. [3] half-title, p. [4] frontispiece, p. [5] title, p. [6] copyright, p. [7] epigraph of first stanza of Lorenzo de' Medici's "Canzona di Bacco" with English translation, p. [9] TOC of illustrations, "ILLUSTRATIONS.", pp. 11-351 main text
Format
pp. v–xxiv Foreword, 4 illustrations, pp. 11–5 Introduction (part of the novel), pp 17–351 main text, 21 x 14 cm, hardcover
Subject
Italy -- Fiction
Identifier
MMC_N_MS1966FSG
Type
Text
Rights
Public domain, except foreword
Language
en
it (epigraph)
Relation
Reprint of the 1922 edition, with the same addition to the title of the original 1898 edition
Coverage
Italy
15th century
Image
Edition
Reprint from The St. Botolph Society (Boston) edition (1922) under the same title (Stott, p. 23), with a new foreword
Publisher's Location
New York
Format
Print book
Genre
Novel
Cover
#AF183A (Cardinal) with gold letter WSM on front, spine please see photo
Dust Jacket
Yes. Pictorial design with a shield, background in white
Provenance
Wheeler Library, Otero Junior College, La Junta, Colorado
Year of Acquisition
2013
Original Cost
US$4.95 in 1966
Citation
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965, “The Making of a Saint. A Romance of Mediaeval Italy (1966),” My Maugham Collection, accessed May 11, 2024, https://mymaughamcollection.omeka.net/items/show/4.