2 MAY 1969, Page 29

No. 551: Lost, stolen or strayed?

COMPETITION

It has just been announced that seventeen previ- ously unpublished short stories by the late Somerset Maugham, written over sixty years ago, are to be published in America later this year. This rich haul, which will delight Maugham fans, is the result of two years' rigor- ous detective work by Dr Craig Showalter, of San Antonio, Texas. Competitors are invited to submit the opening passage (maximum 150 words) from one of these up till now so elusive stories, hinting in the process at some reason why it didn't see the light of day at an earlier occasion. Entries, marked 'Competition No. 551,' must be in by 12 May.