This well-preserved edition is near fine, with no marks; the pages are tight and appear unread, and the book is tight, square, and unmarked. It features a full grey cloth binding, a gilt ornament on the top cover, and dense gilt lines and text on the spine, along with green pastedown and free endpapers. The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham: Volume 2, published by Doubleday, is the second volume in the three-part U.S. edition of Maugham’s collected short fiction. Like Volume 1, it showcases Maugham’s mastery of the short story form, though with a shift in setting and tone. Originally part of Altogether: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham (published by Heinemann), this volume includes Maugham's The World Over stories. These stories are generally set in England and Europe, and Volume 2 is often praised for featuring some of Maugham’s most polished and subtle work.