THE NIGGER OF THE "NARCISSUS". A Tale of the Sea
- 1898
1898. London: William Heinemann, 1898. 4 pp undated ads plus 16 pp ads dated Autumn 1897. Original dark grey cloth with life preserver in gilt.
First English Edition of Conrad's third novel (the slightly earlier American edition was titled THE CHILDREN OF THE SEA); 1,519 copies were printed, and the actual date of publication was in late 1897. This tale was the novel which he saw as a turning point in his imagination and in his career... [It] was to shift his concern from Malay subjects to a much deeper and more intense concern with life and death, the mythical sea and the transient individual, survival itself, themes which in ensuing years would become his major subject matter [Karl]. Conrad planned THE NIGGER to be a short story, to accompany several others he was writing (which would become TALES OF UNREST) -- first referring to it as consisting of "25,000 words at least," six days later projecting it to consist of 30,000, and ultimately bringing it in at well over 50,000. This copy has the ad catalogue in the earliest state (16 pp dated Autumn 1897), and is in Supino's binding state "A" (and Cagle's "a") -- with the HEINEMANN spine imprint in non-uniform large letters (no definite priority established). It is a very good copy, with some wear at the spine ends and a faint crack in the spine; atypically, the brittle laid endpapers are not cracked. Supino A3.7.0 binding state A, and Plate 4 (this copy, with Supino's notation on the front endpaper); Cagle A3.c.1, binding state a. Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.
First English Edition of Conrad's third novel (the slightly earlier American edition was titled THE CHILDREN OF THE SEA); 1,519 copies were printed, and the actual date of publication was in late 1897. This tale was the novel which he saw as a turning point in his imagination and in his career... [It] was to shift his concern from Malay subjects to a much deeper and more intense concern with life and death, the mythical sea and the transient individual, survival itself, themes which in ensuing years would become his major subject matter [Karl]. Conrad planned THE NIGGER to be a short story, to accompany several others he was writing (which would become TALES OF UNREST) -- first referring to it as consisting of "25,000 words at least," six days later projecting it to consist of 30,000, and ultimately bringing it in at well over 50,000. This copy has the ad catalogue in the earliest state (16 pp dated Autumn 1897), and is in Supino's binding state "A" (and Cagle's "a") -- with the HEINEMANN spine imprint in non-uniform large letters (no definite priority established). It is a very good copy, with some wear at the spine ends and a faint crack in the spine; atypically, the brittle laid endpapers are not cracked. Supino A3.7.0 binding state A, and Plate 4 (this copy, with Supino's notation on the front endpaper); Cagle A3.c.1, binding state a. Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.
Details
Title
THE NIGGER OF THE "NARCISSUS". A Tale of the Sea
Author
Conrad, Joseph
Condition
Unknown
Date
1898