ALMAYER'S FOLLY. A Story of an Eastern River

1895. New York: Macmillan and Co., 1895. 3 pp undated ads. Original very dark blue cloth.

First American Edition of Conrad's first book, with a text that varies considerably from the English edition (because it was typeset from uncorrected proofs). We find the American edition to be scarcer than the English one (as well it should be, since only about half as many were issued: according to Keating "only 650 copies of this edition were printed, and it is a rare book"). This copy is in Supino's binding "A" (Cagle's binding "a") -- very dark blue cloth with double blind rules framing each cover, and with "Macmillan & Co" at the foot of the spine. It is a bright, near-fine copy (front endpaper repaired at the gutter, but very little other wear). Supino A1.11.0 (this copy -- see Provenance note); Cagle A1b.2, binding (a). Provenance: The title page bears the ink-stamp of Wilson's [lending] Library of Philadelphia -- dated April 30, 1895: according to Cagle, the American publication of this book followed the following timetable: April 3: agreement signed between Paul Reynolds (agent) and Macmillan; April 15: Macmillan's copies deposited at the Library of Congress; May 4: earliest ad appears in this issue of Publisher's Weekly (though this does not necessarily mean the book is yet published; May 11: appears in this week's P.W. "Weekly Record of New Publications" (meaning, the book has been published); May 12: the book was reviewed by the New York Times. Thus Cagle states that the book was published in the "first week of May 1895." Yet this copy's title page indicates that this copy was received by the Wilson Library by April 30th. This copy also bears the discreet bookplate of Conrad's 2022 bibliographer David Supino; he refers to this "Wilson" copy as indicating that the US edition came out earlier than Cagle had thought.