{"product_id":"9781783948307","title":"W. Somerset Maugham - The Magician: \"It's a very funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.\"","description":"William Somerset Maugham was born on 25 January 1874 and was to become a playwright and novelist of staggering talent. Losing both his parents at age 10, he was raised by a paternal uncle. Maugham eventually trained and qualified as a doctor. The initial print run of his first novel,Liza of Lambeth, published in 1897, sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time. His life was certainly full as the short biography at the end of this book will attest to, but it is also a life full of marvellous works and dedication to his art as 'The Magician' reveals.","brand":"A Word To The Wise","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47061915336944,"sku":"9781783948307","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781783948307_p0.jpg?v=1763726960","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781783948307","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}