TALES OF UNREST

1898. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. 14 pp undated ads. Original dark green cloth.

First English Edition of Conrad's fourth book -- his first collection of short stories (including "An Outpost of Progress," a Congo tale anticipating his later "Heart of Darkness"). The American edition by Scribner's is believed to have come out about ten days earlier. For this U.K. edition Cagle estimates a printing of about 1,250 copies, while Wise and Smith estimate 3,000 (but that figure probably included copies for the colonies); in 1906 copies of this first impression were offered by the Times Book Club. "Some copies have the top-edge trimmed but not gilt, and endpapers of laid paper... This difference is probably indicative of a later binding-up in the batch-binding process" [Supino]. This copy is in this (scarcer) secondary binding state -- with top edge plain, and with laid-paper endpapers. It is in bright, close-to-fine condition (a few faint cover marks). Supino A4.7.0 (secondary binding); Cagle A4c.1. Provenance: early endpaper signature of M. McRorie, "Strathearn" [Scotland]; discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.