Doubleday Book Club Edition - 1944

There seems to be conflicting information as to just how many copies The Razor's Edge first sold when it was published in 1944. Some sources say around a million copies; other put it around three times that. In either case, it was a huge hit.

If you search for the book on eBay, its this edition--the 1944 Doubleday Book Club Edition--that you'll find the most copies of, even with its dustjacket, a fairly rare occurrence for a book over 65 years old. That would seem to indicate to me that the book sold closer to three million copies; and that's why you can still find this on sale for a fairly cheap price.

I love that author photo of Maugham on the back--in the book, he's a jaunty, good-humored fellow; but in this picture he looks like a total sourpuss.