THE ARROW OF GOLD. A Story Between Two Notes

1919. Garden City NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1919. Original blue cloth decorated in gilt, with dust jacket.

First Edition, first impression. Because no American periodical would serialize it, THE ARROW OF GOLD was published there about four months before (and lacking many of Conrad's last-minute changes made in time for) the London edition. This copy is from the first impression, with only 20 books listed opposite the title page (THE SHADOW LINE having been omitted), and bound in navy blue cloth. The second impression is the same but is on thinner paper in the "Deep Sea" limp-leather binding; there were then third and fourth impressions (truncated) in 1919, in cloth and in limp leather respectively, but listing all 21 books and with several minor alterations in the text. The volume is in fine, bright condition. Included is the very scarce dust jacket (scarcer, in our opinion, than the jackets for several earlier American Conrad titles such as VICTORY and WITHIN THE TIDES). The jacket is unusual on two counts: first, it is pictorial (well... a picture of a red arrow), unlike all but one of the other DP&Co Conrad jackets; second, it includes on its verso a biographical sketch of Conrad (including a full-length portrait). This jacket is in very good condition (a few small chips and creases, but with all text present). Supino A21.1.0 (this copy); Cagle A38a(1). Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino. (Inventory #: 15403)