OK. I'm asking to see if we should create a collection. It does seem
like Ashenden is a writer in both books, which is probably enough of a
hint, though "Ashenden" doesn't mention his first name as William. But
nobody else seems to mention the connection, so let's drop it for now.
On 3/13/26 5:47 PM, Ron Stewart wrote:
> RE the Ashenden character: I haven't found anything that definitively
> answers that question and I'm undecided.
>
> Maugham had indicated that the character in the stories in /
> Ashenden/ was based on his own experiences in the British intelligence
> service and was autobiographical. The timing of /Cakes and Ale/ could
> fit and the narrator William Ashenden attended medical school in London
> (as did Maugham) but from the narrative, I don't get the sense he ever
> practised and the story in /Cakes and Ale/ is largely silent on those
> intervening years between when he the character was in London as a
> student and the timeframe of the story as Ashenden is looking back on
> his time in London and with Rosie. There are also some similarities
> between the earlier life of William Ashendon in /Cakes and Ale/ and
> >>> (
https://dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/ <https://
>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/>
> >>> assetbank-birminghammuseums/action/
> >>> viewAsset?id=8207 <https://
> >>>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/assetbank- <http://
>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/assetbank->
> >>> birminghammuseums/action/viewAsset?
> >>> id=8207>) - A representation of Rosie
> >>> Driffield, a key character in the story.
> >>> When her portrait is painted mid-way
> >>> through the story, it has a profound
> >>> effect on both the painter (“She’s the
> >>> very devil to paint,” said Hillier,
> >>> looking at her and at his picture. “You
> >>> see, she’s all gold, her face and her
> >>> hair, and yet she doesn’t give you a
> >>> golden effect, she gives you a silvery
> >>> effect.”) and on the narrator ("I stared
> >>> at her and I stared at the picture. I had
> >>> such a funny little feeling in my heart.
> >>> It was as though someone softly plunged a
> >>> sharp knife into it, but it was not an
> >>> unpleasant sensation at all, painful but
> >>> strangely agreeable; and then suddenly I
> >>> felt quite weak at the knees. But now I
> >>> do not know if I remember Rosie in the
> >>> flesh or in the picture.”).
> >>>
> >>> - "Mug, Book, Biscuits, and Match", John
> >>> Frederick Peto, 1893 (https://
> >>>
www.nga.gov/artworks/164948-mug-book- <
http://www.nga.gov/
> artworks/164948-mug-book->
> >>> biscuits-and-match <
https://www.nga.gov/ <
https://www.nga.gov/>
> >>> artworks/164948-mug-book-biscuits-and-
> >>> match>) - A more literal take on the
> >>> title of the book, with the image cropped
> >>> to feature the book (given the literary
> >>> subject matter of the book), the mug
> >>> ("ale"), and one of the biscuits ("cakes").
> >>>
> >>> - "Portrait of Thomas Hardy", Reginald
> >>> Grenville Eves, 1924 (https://
> >>>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/assetbank- <http://
> >>>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/assetbank- <http://
>
dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk/assetbank->
> >>> birminghammuseums/action/viewAsset?
> >>> id=8353>) - A representation of Edward
> >>> Driffield, a key character in the book
> >>> who was widely believed to have been
> >>> based on Hardy.
> >>>
> >>> I would welcome thoughts on any of the three.
> >>>
> >>> Ron
> >>>
> >>> On Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at
> >>> 9:44:44 PM UTC-7 Ron Stewart wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Thank you, Robin.
> >>>
> >>> On Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at
> >>> 2:17:27 PM UTC-7 robin wrote:
> >>>
> >>> 1. Looks like we modernise it to
> >>> “Hong Kong” already, but only
> >>> for the lowercase k version
> >>> (this was added only 3 months
> >>> ago <
https://github.com/ <
https://github.com/>
> >>> standardebooks/tools/
> >>> blob/1f1b651a7d1b25b31013a363953dde976a845f44/se/
> >>>>
github.com/we3geeks/w- <
http://github.com/we3geeks/w->
> >>>> somerset-maugham_cakes-and-
> >>>> ale <
https://github.com/ <
https://github.com/>
> >>>>
www.fadedpage.com/ <
http://www.fadedpage.com/>
> >>>> showbook.php <https://
> >>>>
www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php <
http://www.fadedpage.com/
> showbook.php>>?
> >>>> > pid=20170731 <https://
> >>>>
www.fadedpage.com/ <
http://www.fadedpage.com/>
> >>>> showbook.php?pid=20170731
> >>>> <
https://www.fadedpage.com/ <
https://www.fadedpage.com/>
> >>>> showbook.php?pid=20170731>>
> >>>> > > Scans for the 1930
> >>>> printing:https://
> >>>>
archive.org/details/ <
http://archive.org/details/>
> >>>> <
https://archive.org/details/ <
https://archive.org/details/>>
> >>>> > CakesAndAleMaugham/
> >>>> <
https://archive.org/ <
https://archive.org/>
> >>>> details/CakesAndAleMaugham/
> >>>> <
https://archive.org/ <
https://archive.org/>
> >>>> details/CakesAndAleMaugham/>>
> >>>> > >
> >>>> > >
> >>>> > > Ron Stewart
> >>>> > >
> >>>> > > --
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> >>>> > >
> >>>> <mailto:
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> >>>> > > To view this discussion
> >>>> visithttps://
> >>>>
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http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
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https://groups.google.com/ <
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> >>>> d/msgid/>
> >>>> > <https://
> >>>>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> <
https://groups.google.com/ <
https://groups.google.com/>
> >>>> d/msgid/>>
> >>>> > > standardebooks/
> >>>> >
> >>>> a53c8e6e-6e67-4bfa-97c3-1f4bbea635c5n%
40googlegroups.com
> <
http://40googlegroups.com> <
http://40googlegroups.com/
> >>>> <
http://40googlegroups.com/ <
http://40googlegroups.com/>>>
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groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> standardebooks/ <https://
> >>>>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> standardebooks/><https://
> >>>> >
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> standardebooks/ <http://
> >>>>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> standardebooks/>>
> >>>> > >
> >>>> a53c8e6e-6e67-4bfa-97c3-1f4bbea635c5n%
40googlegroups.com
> <
http://40googlegroups.com> <
http://40googlegroups.com/
> >>>> <
http://40googlegroups.com/ <
http://40googlegroups.com/>>>?
> >>>> > >
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> >>>>
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http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> <
https://groups.google.com/ <
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> >>>> d/msgid/>
> >>>> >
> >>>> standardebooks/2eacfc81-46a6-49ad-
> acf7-5218a40ccd94n%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>
> <
http://40googlegroups.com/ <
http://40googlegroups.com/>>
> >>>> > <https://
> >>>>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> >>>> standardebooks/2eacfc81-46a6-49ad- <
https://groups.google.com/
> d/msgid/standardebooks/2eacfc81-46a6-49ad- <https://
>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/2eacfc81-46a6-49ad->>
> >>>> >
> >>>> acf7-5218a40ccd94n%
40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer <
http://40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> <
http://40googlegroups.com/?
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http://40googlegroups.com/?
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> >>>> d/msgid/standardebooks/195b543c-
> >>>> e1e2-420f-80a6-
> >>>> dc9b65dce848n%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>
> >>>> <
https://groups.google.com/d/ <
https://groups.google.com/d/>
> >>>> msgid/standardebooks/195b543c-
> >>>> e1e2-420f-80a6-
> >>>> dc9b65dce848n%
40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer <
http://40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>>.
> >>>
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> >>> standardebooks/4005d36d-282f-4cd4-
> >>> ae08-38fef1261dcbn%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>
> >>> <
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
https://groups.google.com/
> d/msgid/>
> >>> standardebooks/4005d36d-282f-4cd4-
> >>> ae08-38fef1261dcbn%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>?
> >>> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> >>
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>
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> >> A2DA7651-BA61-4147-980E-
> >> C93AD333EA90%
40reala.net <
http://40reala.net> <https://
> >>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/ <http://
>
groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/>
> >> A2DA7651-BA61-4147-980E-
> >> C93AD333EA90%
40reala.net <
http://40reala.net>?
> >> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> >
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> > standardebooks/1a9f942f-8abe-414d-adea-
> > af1b72a7251an%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>
> <https://
> >
groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <
http://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> > standardebooks/1a9f942f-8abe-414d-adea-
> > af1b72a7251an%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>?
> > utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> >
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> send
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> > standardebooks/f83fed5f-c027-456f-b297-
> b26b4dc29f37n%
40googlegroups.com <
http://40googlegroups.com>
> > <
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/f83fed5f-
> c027-456f- <
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/
> f83fed5f-c027-456f->
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40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer <
http://40googlegroups.com?
> standardebooks/fca61ee2-7e65-4819-9158-9db8b1de6798n%
40googlegroups.com
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https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/
> fca61ee2-7e65-4819-9158-9db8b1de6798n%
40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.