Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

Of Human Bondage

Introduction by Selina Hastings

By W. Somerset Maugham
Introduction by Gore Vidal

By W. Somerset Maugham
Introduction by Gore Vidal

By W. Somerset Maugham

By W. Somerset Maugham

By W. Somerset Maugham
Introduction by Selina Hastings

By W. Somerset Maugham
Introduction by Selina Hastings

By W. Somerset Maugham

By W. Somerset Maugham

By W. Somerset Maugham

By W. Somerset Maugham

Best Seller

Part of Modern Library 100 Best Novels

Part of Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Series

Part of Modern Library 100 Best Novels

Paperback $14.00

Mar 02, 1999 | ISBN 9780375753152

Mass Market Paperback $5.95

Jun 01, 1991 | ISBN 9780553213928

Hardcover $26.95

Oct 06, 2015 | ISBN 9781101907689

Ebook $1.99

Feb 28, 2006 | ISBN 9780553902372

Ebook $2.99

Nov 01, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641704

All Formats
+
    Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
    Paperback $14.00
    Mar 02, 1999 | ISBN 9780375753152

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (4) +

    Paperback (2)
    –

    • Paperback $14.00

      Mar 02, 1999 | ISBN 9780375753152

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Mass Market Paperback $5.95

      Jun 01, 1991 | ISBN 9780553213928

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Hardcover
    +

    • Hardcover $26.95

      Oct 06, 2015 | ISBN 9781101907689

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook (2)
    +

    • Ebook

      Feb 28, 2006 | ISBN 9780553902372

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Ebook

      Nov 01, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641704

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About Of Human Bondage

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time

    “It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham,” wrote Gore Vidal. “He was always so entirely there.”
            Originally published in 1915, Of Human Bondage is a potent expression of the power of sexual obsession and of modern man’s yearning for freedom. This classic bildungsroman tells the story of Philip Carey, a sensitive boy born with a clubfoot who is orphaned and raised by a religious aunt and uncle. Philip yearns for adventure, and at eighteen leaves home, eventually pursuing a career as an artist in Paris. When he returns to London to study medicine, he meets the androgynous but alluring Mildred and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life. There is no more powerful story of sexual infatuation, of human longing for connection and freedom.
            ”Here is a novel of the utmost importance,” wrote Theodore Dreiser on publication. “It is a beacon of light by which the wanderer may be guided. . . . One feels as though one were sitting before a splendid Shiraz of priceless texture and intricate weave, admiring, feeling, responding sensually to its colors and tones.”

    With an Introduction by Gore Vidal

    Commentary by Theodore Dreiser and Graham Greene

    About Of Human Bondage

    A masterpiece of modern literature that mirrors Maugham’s own career.

    Of Human Bondage is the first and most autobiographical of Maugham’s novels. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, Philip settles in London to train as a doctor. And that is where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a formative, tortured and masochistic affair which very nearly ruins him.

    About Of Human Bondage

    W. Somerset Maugham’s masterwork is the coming-of-age story of Philip Carey, a sensitive young man consumed by an unrequited and self-destructive love.

    Born with a clubfoot, Philip is orphaned as a child and raised by unsympathetic relatives. Sent to a boarding school where he has difficulty fitting in, he grows up with an intense longing for love, art, and experience. After failing to become an artist in Paris, he begins medical studies in London, where he meets Mildred, a cold-hearted waitress with whom he falls into a powerful, tortured, life-altering love affair. This is the most autobiographical of Maugham’s works, with Philip’s malformed foot standing in for Maugham’s stutter, and the character’s painful romantic struggles inspired by the author’s own intense love affairs with both men and women. A brilliant and deeply moving portrayal of the price of passion and the universal desire for connection, Of Human Bondage stands as one of the most accomplished novels in English literature.

    About Of Human Bondage

    A masterpiece of modern literature that mirrors Maugham’s own career.

    Of Human Bondage is the first and most autobiographical of Maugham’s novels. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, Philip settles in London to train as a doctor. And that is where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a formative, tortured and masochistic affair which very nearly ruins him.

    About Of Human Bondage

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time

    ‘It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham,’ wrote Gore Vidal. ‘He was always so entirely there.’ Originally published in 1915, Of Human Bondage is a potent expression of the power of sexual obsession and of modern man’s yearning for freedom. This classic bildungsroman tells the story of Philip Carey, a sensitive boy born with a clubfoot who is orphaned and raised by a religious aunt and uncle. Philip yearns for adventure, and at eighteen leaves home, eventually pursuing a career as an artist in Paris. When he returns to London to study medicine, he meets the androgynous but alluring Mildred and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life. There is no more powerful story of sexual infatuation, of human longing for connection and freedom. ‘Here is a novel of the utmost importance,’ wrote Theodore Dreiser on publication. ‘It is a beacon of light by which the wanderer may be guided. . . . One feels as though one were sitting before a splendid Shiraz of priceless texture and intricate weave, admiring, feeling, responding sensually to its colors and tones.’ With an Introduction by Gore Vidal Commentary by Theodore Dreiser and Graham Greene.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by W. Somerset Maugham

    Rain
    The Skeptical Romancer
    A Writer's Notebook
    The Narrow Corner
    Mrs Craddock
    See all books by W. Somerset Maugham

    Also by W. Somerset Maugham

    Rain
    The Skeptical Romancer
    A Writer's Notebook
    The Narrow Corner
    Mrs Craddock
    See all books by W. Somerset Maugham

    Also by W. Somerset Maugham

    Rain
    The Skeptical Romancer
    A Writer's Notebook
    The Narrow Corner
    Mrs Craddock
    See all books by W. Somerset Maugham

    Also by W. Somerset Maugham

    Rain
    The Skeptical Romancer
    A Writer's Notebook
    The Narrow Corner
    Mrs Craddock
    See all books by W. Somerset Maugham

    Also by W. Somerset Maugham

    Rain
    The Skeptical Romancer
    A Writer's Notebook
    The Narrow Corner
    Mrs Craddock
    See all books by W. Somerset Maugham

    About W. Somerset Maugham

    W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London, where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place… More about W. Somerset Maugham

    About W. Somerset Maugham

    W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London, where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place… More about W. Somerset Maugham

    About W. Somerset Maugham

    W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London, where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place… More about W. Somerset Maugham

    About W. Somerset Maugham

    W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London, where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place… More about W. Somerset Maugham

    About W. Somerset Maugham

    W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London, where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place… More about W. Somerset Maugham

    Product Details

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction

    Paperback | $14.00
    Published by Modern Library
    Mar 02, 1999 | 656 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780375753152

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction

    Mass Market Paperback | $5.95
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Jun 01, 1991 | 736 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780553213928

    Category: Fiction Classics | Romance

    Hardcover | $26.95
    Published by Everyman’s Library
    Oct 06, 2015 | 712 Pages | 4-7/8 x 8 | ISBN 9781101907689

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction

    Ebook | $1.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Feb 28, 2006 | 736 Pages | ISBN 9780553902372

    Category: Fiction Classics | Literary Fiction

    Ebook | $2.99
    Published by Modern Library
    Nov 01, 2000 | 656 Pages | ISBN 9780679641704
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    “[Of Human Bondage] was an entirely new departure. Maugham, who usually cultivates a fastidious detachment, shows in this work a personal commitment that was unusual, sweeping the reader up in his own passionate intensity. Compelling and uncompromising, written with an unflagging energy and drive, the work could hardly be more different from any he had previously published . . . The story closely follow[s] the events of Maugham’s early life, with at its centre the terrifying experience of a masochistic sexual obsession.” —from the Introduction by Selina Hastings

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates about W. Somerset Maugham
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Raise kids who love to read

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

     An online magazine for today’s home cook

    An online magazine for today’s home cook