W. Somerset Maugham books in order
English playwright and author
- Lived
- 1874–1965
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 87
W. Somerset Maugham published 53 novels, 1 novella, 14 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 5 plays and 10 other books, beginning with Liza of Lambeth (1897). The best-known is The Razor’s Edge (1944).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with W. Somerset Maugham
Start here
The Razor’s Edge
W. Somerset Maugham's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Making of a Saint (1898)
Orientations (1899)
The Hero (1901)
Mrs Craddock (1902)
A Man of Honour (1903)
The Merry-go-round (1904)
The Explorer (1907)
The Magician (1908)
Lady Frederick (1911)
Jack Straw (1912)
Mrs. Dot (1912)
Plays (1912)
Smith (1912)
Of Human Bondage (1915)
The Moon and Sixpence (1919)
The Unknown, a Play in Three Acts (1920)
The Land of Promise (1922)
The Unattainable (1923)
Loaves and Fishes (1924)
Our Betters (1924)
The Painted Veil (1925)
Ashenden: Or the British Agent (1928)
The Sacred Flame (1928)
Cakes and Ale (1930)
The Bread-winner (1930)
The Gentleman in the Parlour (1930)
East and West (1932)
The Narrow Corner (1932)
Traveller's Library (1933)
Don Fernando (1935)
Theatre (1937)
Christmas Holiday (1939)
Princess September and the Nightingale (1939)
The Round Dozen (1939)
Strictly Personal (1941)
Up at the Villa (1941)
The Hour Before the Dawn (1942)
Great Modern Reading (1943)
The Razor’s Edge (1944)
The Summing Up (1945)
Then and Now (1946)
Catalina (1948)
Catalina, a Romance (1948)
Ten Novels and Their Authors (1948)
A Writer's Notebook (1949)
The Maugham Reader (1950)
The Vagrant Mood (1952)
Great Novelists and Their Novels (1954)
Points of View. -- (1960)
Selected Plays (1963)
Three Dramas of W. Somerset Maugham (1968)
Maugham (1984)
COLLECTED SHORT STORIES (1990)
Novellas in order
Liza of Lambeth (1897)
Short story collections in order
Sixty-five Short Stories (1905)
The Casuarina Tree (1926)
Seventeen Lost Stories (1931)
Ah King (1933)
The Favorite Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham (1934)
The Trembling of a Leaf (1935)
Cosmopolitans (1936)
The Mixture as Before (1940)
Creatures of Circumstance (1947)
Complete Short Stories (1951)
Best Short Stories (1957)
30 Great Short Stories (1976)
Collected Short Stories [of] W. Somerset Maugham (1976)
Far Eastern Tales (1997)
Non-fiction in order
On a Chinese Screen (1922)
Andalusia, Sketches & Impressions (1923)
Introduction to Modern English and American Literature (1943)
Plays in order
The Circle (1921)
The Letter (1925)
The Constant Wife (1926)
Trio (1950)
The Collected Plays (1952)
Other books in order
East of Suez (1922)
Home and Beauty (1923)
For Services Rendered (1932)
Sheppey (1933)
The Noble Spaniard (1953)
The Kite (1963)
The Lotus Eater (1981)
The Creative Impulse and Other Stories (1987)
The Outstation (2004)
Bishops Apron (2020)
Film and TV adaptations
- Of Human Bondage (1934)Film · from Of Human Bondage
- Of Human Bondage (1964)Film · from Of Human Bondage
- The Moon and Sixpence (1942)Film · from The Moon and Sixpence
- The Letter (1929)Film · from The Letter
- The Letter (1940)Film · from The Letter
- The Unfaithful (1947)Film · from The Letter
- The Painted Veil (1934)Film · from The Painted Veil
- The Painted Veil (2006)Film · from The Painted Veil
- Theatre (1978)Film · from Theatre
- Up at the Villa (2000)Film · from Up at the Villa
- The Razor's Edge (1946)Film · from The Razor’s Edge
- The Razor's Edge (1984)Film · from The Razor’s Edge
Free to read
All free classics
About W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
W. Somerset Maugham FAQ
- How many books has W. Somerset Maugham written?
- W. Somerset Maugham published 53 novels, 1 novella, 14 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 5 plays and 10 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read W. Somerset Maugham's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Razor’s Edge.
- What is W. Somerset Maugham's last book?
- Selected Plays (1963).
- What is W. Somerset Maugham's most famous book?
- The Razor’s Edge (1944) is W. Somerset Maugham's most widely read book.
- Which W. Somerset Maugham books have been adapted?
- 7 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Of Human Bondage (film, 1934), The Moon and Sixpence (film, 1942), The Letter (film, 1929) and The Painted Veil (film, 1934).
- Can I read W. Somerset Maugham's books for free?
- Yes. 26 books by W. Somerset Maugham are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like W. Somerset Maugham
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George Bernard Shaw
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John Galsworthy
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Fyodor Dostoevsky
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.