THE INHERITORS. An Extravagant Story

1901. London: William Heinemann, 1901. 32 pp undated ads. Original yellow cloth decorated in black.

First English Edition, second issue, first binding state. This was Conrad's only science fiction title, involving people from The Fourth Dimension -- though the work is largely Hueffer's. The "I" narrator is Etchingham Granger, a writer of impeccable pedigree whose fortunes are none too good and who is forced to take on several disagreeable commercial assignments. Early on, he meets an extremely attractive young lady who is a "Fourth Dimensionist." This tribe of "new people" -- there is a dystopian pattern here -- lacks feelings and normal or human responses. They, and she, are dedicated to becoming the inheritors of the earth because of their superiority in intellect, control and deception. In particular, they plan to undermine public confidence in its institutions, which turns out to be fairly easy given the nature of the men who govern. The political satire lies here: everyone has a price and everyone is self-serving regardless of the seriousness of the issues. There is no "public policy" among public men. [Karl] The UK edition, issued a month after the American one, consisted of 1,500 copies in two states and three bindings. This copy is second issue, WITH the dedication leaf ("To Borys & Christina"): according to Cagle "it would appear that the [dedication] leaf was inserted into only a few copies"; one would presume that these were likely the last copies to be bound up. Yet this copy is in the primary binding (with the pictorial cover panel and with "W H" bracketing the windmill on the spine; there were two subsequent bindings). It is a bright, close-to-fine copy (scarcely any wear at all, with much less cover soil than is usually the case with this bright yellow cloth). Supino A6.8.0 and Plate 7 (this copy); Cagle A6a.3. Housed in a (tired) morocco-backed slipcase with inner chemise. Provenance: two bookplates of Lynde Selden (son-in-law of fellow book collector Albert Henry Wiggin) and bookplate of Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.