Andalusia: Sketches and Impressions

The first of Maugham's travel books, this one on an 1897 visit to Spain. The writer completed the work in June 1899. He planned to have it illustrated by a Spanish artist and then serialized in one of the popular magazines. However, he could not find a publisher, in 1902-1903 he rewrote it in its entirety, with a quick trip to Seville (April 1903) to refresh his memory. Finally, William Heinemann published it in January 1905, with a printing of 1,250--half of which had to be remaindered. Alfred Knopf reissued the book in 1920 and 1921.Despite its generally undistinguished quality, the narrative does contain a dramatic and realistic depiction of a bullfight, which, when translated into Spanish and sold separately, became a fairly popular piece in Spain.