Title:: [[Then and Now]] Authors:: [[W. Somerset Maugham]] Tags:: #fiction Read:: [[2025-07-19]] Instagram :: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMTF09CORhg/ ## Editions - Edition:: [[Doubleday]], First US Edition, 1946 - Original Copyright:: 1946 - Pages:: 278 ## Purchase * Bookshop.org:: ## Annotations W. Somerset Maugham’s Then and Now is a work of historical fiction about Machiavelli’s encounter with Cesare Borgia aka The Prince. There’s also a fun subplot where Machiavelli tries to sleep with someone’s wife, which became the premise of his play, The Mandrake.  This was just ok. Published after The Razor’s Edge, which is extraordinary, it’s hard to believe it’s written by the same guy. In spite of its moments, Then and Now feels phoned-in.