On A Chinese Screen. Maugham, W. Somerset First Edition

First edition of this classic travel book by the author of The Razor's Edge. Octavo, original publisher's gilt-decorated cloth. Presentation copy, lengthily inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Herbert M. Meyer from W. Somerset Maugham These notes were made in China, most of them (in pencil) on paper bought by the wayside while I was being carried by my horse on the long journey from Chang-King to Cheng Tri; & I meant them to serve as material for a book. But when I returned to Europe it seemed to me that by writing them up I should destroy what freshness they had; & so I preferred to leave them in this disconnected form. W.M." Very good in the rare original dust jacket which is in good condition with losses to the front panel and spine. Rare and desirable an in the original jacket and inscribed. A series of short sketches composed during his journey along the Yangtze River in 1919â "1920, W. Somerset Maughamâ s A Chinese Screen captures not only the authorâ s impressions of China but also his observations of the expatriates he encountered there. While the work provides vivid glimpses of Chinese landscapes, customs, and daily life, it is just as concerned with the Westerners who attempted to settle or travel in the region. Their struggles to understandâ "or even tolerateâ "the cultural differences they faced often reveal more about the anxieties and limitations of colonial attitudes than about China itself.