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The Complete Works of Saki Hardcover – 1 Jan. 1976

by Saki (Author), Noel Coward (Contributor)
4.4 out of 5 stars 248 ratings
All the stories, the three novels, and the three plays of the popular English writer, who delighted in the elegant and inelegant, the mannered and ill-mannered, the trivial and privileged denizens of pre-war England and Empire
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Doubleday
  3. Publication date
    1 Jan. 1976
  4. ISBN-10
    0385053738
  5. ISBN-13
    978-0385053730
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Jan. 1976
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385053738
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385053730
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 885 g
  • Best Sellers Rank: 3,147,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 248 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
248 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise Saki's writing quality and unique sense of humor, with one review highlighting his satirical take on the upper middle classes. The book receives positive feedback for its value, with one customer noting it's well worth adding to their bookshelf. They appreciate the comprehensive collection, with one review mentioning it includes both novels and plays in one volume.

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Writing qualityHumorValue for moneyBook volume
9 customers mention ‘Writing quality’9 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as terrific, with one customer noting it as the best short story writer.

"...with Charles Maude and, I think benefits greatly from that; it's rather good...." Read more

"well packaged and arrived before advised delivery date. well written. would recommend." Read more

"A great book, if our have never read any Saki buy this it has all his different persona in it and is a very amusing take off of the upper middle..." Read more

"Loved the book, witty funny the man was a genius" Read more

8 customers mention ‘Humor’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate Saki's unique sense of humor, with one noting his astringent wit and another highlighting his amusing take on the upper middle classes, while another appreciates the footnotes that identify those being satirized.

"...it has all his different persona in it and is a very amusing take off of the upper middle classes." Read more

"The funniest collection of short stories I've ever read, by a very long way...." Read more

"...rather good, and Penguin have, thankfully, included some footnotes to identify those being satirised. Its weakness is, of course, that it's topical...." Read more

"...afternoon or to sooth you to sleep after a difficult day .His humor is satirical ,pithy and sometimes dark...." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Value for money’5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a wonderful collection that is worth adding to their bookshelves, with one customer describing it as a magnificent find and another noting its comprehensive nature.

"...The collection is comprehensive, including some rarer stories and plays that were missing from my other edition of his work...." Read more

"...of Saki's work as you're likely to find, enjoyable, and well worth adding to your bookshelf...." Read more

"This was a magnificent find. All Saki's short stories, novels and plays in one volume...." Read more

"Well received, well preserved, very good prize" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Book volume’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's format, with one mentioning it includes both novels and plays in one volume.

"This was a magnificent find. All Saki's short stories, novels and plays in one volume...." Read more

"...It is excellent to have the full set in one volume." Read more

"Terrific writing, and all in one book. A keeper!" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Janey Noble
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very amusing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2021
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    A great book, if our have never read any Saki buy this it has all his different persona in it and is a very amusing take off of the upper middle classes.
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  • Timbo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Got to love him
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2012
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    The funniest collection of short stories I've ever read, by a very long way. Saki has a razor-sharp wit, which slices through his cynical, sinister world of Victorian values with such ease and grace that it's easy to forget what a master craftsman he is.
    The collection is comprehensive, including some rarer stories and plays that were missing from my other edition of his work. There is no introduction or notes, but what can you say about Saki that could possibly enhance his writing? For those unfamiliar with the somewhat flowery, elaborate nature of Victorian prose his style may at first seem a little unwieldy, but it's a style which allows his ideas and characters to hit their targets with unswerving accuracy.
    It's a shame Saki is not more popular, as he is right up there with Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker as one of the great humorists of the 20th century - a dark, macabre wordsmith, he deserves to be read by everyone who loves great writing, and who doesn't mind shaking with laughter on the bus to work.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Mike Watkinson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but best taken in small doses
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I have read that Saki was influenced by (and presumably therefore admired) Kipling, amongst others. Writing in exactly the same period (Saki was 5 years younger, though he died 20 years earlier, killed in the Great War) it seems appropriate to compare the two. From any technical point of view, both are masters of the art of short story writing, which formed the bulk of the output of each. Indeed, one might even suggest that Saki's mastery was the greater, given that many of his stories are only a few pages in length, giving him less time to properly construct them.

    However, Kipling wrote of all classes & peoples of the world, never mind those tales where animals are protagonists, and everything from humorous to tragic tales. Saki wrote amusing tales, mostly, of his own set. Whilst he did that very well, he lacks variety, especially since many of the tales are reliant on the victim being gullble or just plain dim, so that they can be tricked. Reading through this book is much like trying to eat your way through a large tin of chocolates - after a while you just stop because you don't want any more.

    The blurb describes him as macabre, acid, and very funny. A few supernaturally-based stories does not make one macabre (no-one describes Kipling as such, though he did the same), and he does not seem to me to be macabre in any other way. Acid? He may have seemed so in his day, but to this modern reader, whimsical would be a far better word to apply. As for very funny, I'd say amusing, and sometimes rather predictable.

    Of his three novels & three plays, I'm afraid 4 are rather duff. The two one-act plays are mercifully short & very predictable. The third, The Watched Pot, was co-authored with Charles Maude and, I think benefits greatly from that; it's rather good. As Maude says in his introduction, Saki wrote as a novelist, rather than as a playwright.

    As for the novels, if The Unbearable Bassington isn't unbearable, I did find it verbose & dull. When William Came, written just before the war in which Saki would be killed, is "future history", imagining a world where Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany has invaded, defeated, and occupied Britain in the space of a week. It's also extremely verbose, unrealistic, and unconvincing. The last "novel", Alice In Westminster, is a short series of satirical political sketches from 1902, written as a pastiche of Alice In Wonderland. As with The Watched Pot, it's rather good, and Penguin have, thankfully, included some footnotes to identify those being satirised. Its weakness is, of course, that it's topical. If you know little of the politics & personalities, you'll miss a lot of the references. Even if you are knowledgeable (and I am), there will undoubtedly be references you'll miss (I'd never heard of Speaker Gully, one of those "sketched"). Nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

    This is as complete a collection of Saki's work as you're likely to find, enjoyable, and well worth adding to your bookshelf. I merely advise that you don't try to read too much at once!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • wendy langcake
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful bargain
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have loved Saki since I discovered him several years ago .He is an ideal companion for a dismal ,rainy afternoon or to sooth you to sleep after a difficult day .His humor is satirical ,pithy and sometimes dark. But he never fails to transport you to a strange ,amusing and somehow reassuring world ,populated by slightly bizarre yet engaging characters .He is an oddly well kept literary secret and i'm delighted to find a full collection of his work at such a tiny price .
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  • Christopher Croser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Saki
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2021
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    Loved the book, witty funny the man was a genius
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  • Helene
    5.0 out of 5 stars Complete joy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2015
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    This was a magnificent find. All Saki's short stories, novels and plays in one volume. If you haven't read any Saki, try one of his short stories today, you won't regret it. I recommend "The Interlopers", "The Hounds Of Fate" and "The Elk" for starters. A wonderful collection.
    One person found this helpful
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  • L. Spencer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great edition
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2018
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    Yeah... chortled after my old favourite, "The Open Window" which introduced Saki to me. This is a big handsome Penguin volume and will provide me with hours... years... of enjoyment
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  • Bar
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best short story writer.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2021
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    Great book
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Aidan
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you like his stories then this is a good copy
    Reviewed in India on 5 October 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I remember reading The Open Window as part of my school curriculum and Tobermory in a collection of short stories and the two stories have stuck in my mind ever since. So when I saw this collection with a new cover available on sale, it was a no-brainer. Saki aka HHM is a master of satirical humour. If you like his stories then this is a good copy. If you haven't read him as yet, again, a complete collection is a good idea because once you start, you'll want to read more.
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  • Ponchet jacques
    5.0 out of 5 stars UN CHEF D'ŒUVRE , TRÈS FIN ET TRÈS DRÔLE
    Reviewed in France on 2 April 2019
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    EXPOSÉ SUR L'HUMOUR ANGLAIS DANS UNE MAISON DE RETRAITE.
    EXCELLENTE ILLUSTRATION DE L'HUMOUR ANGLAIS, QUE J'AI ÉNORMÉMENT APPRÉCIÉE.
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  • Brian
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in Australia on 5 April 2025
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    Interesting read
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  • C A T
    3.0 out of 5 stars No tan bien como esperaba
    Reviewed in Spain on 6 May 2024
    Verified Purchase
    El libro de segunda mano no estaba tan bien como esperaba por la descripción. Puede ocurrir a veces, y puede ser esperable, pero describir con más detalle la condición del libro debe ser algo dado, para que el cliente siempre sepa lo que compra
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  • Bia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ótimo Conteúdo
    Reviewed in Brazil on 30 March 2021
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    A obra de Saki é muito rica! O livro é excelente.
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