Novelist, playwright, short-story writer, travel writer, autobiographer, and essayist, W. Somerset Maugham wrote only one collection of short stories that justifies his inclusion in any discussion of spy fiction: Ashenden; or The British Agent (1928). St...

The British novelist William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), one of the most popular writers in English in the 20th century, is noted for his clarity of style and skill in storytelling. Born in Paris, on Jan. 25, 1874, where his father was solicitor to the...

When William Somerset Maugham celebrated his seventh birthday in Paris, he received from Lady Anglesey, a family friend, a generous gift of twenty francs. Asked how he planned to use his money, young Willie (as he preferred to be addressed) eagerly respo...

Rick Williams and his family weren't about to let the threat of rain ruin their camping trip over the Fourth of July holiday, a time that normally brings thousands of Texans to state parks.But when they arrived at Cedar Hill State Park southwest of Dallas,...

Environment: Whatever happened to the rain forest? The virtuous cause seems to have become an endangered species with the totemic rise of global warming. Maybe that's the lesson.Not too long ago, the news was atwitter with stories of rain forest bio-jewelry, rain forest vegetable leather,...

The second straight day of rain washed out another effort by NASCAR on Monday to run the 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.The race, which was originally scheduled to be run on Sunday, was rescheduled for 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday.Officials said...

For western Kentucky grain farmer Bill Clift, last week's heavy rains came just in time for his drought-stressed corn crop."We were a week or maybe 10 days at the most away from a complete disaster," Clift said Monday. "Prospects look a lot better now that...