NOSTROMO. A Tale of the Seaboard
by Conrad, Joseph
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Yarmouth, Maine, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
1904. London and New York: Harper & Brothers, 1904. Original dark blue cloth decorated in light blue.
First Edition of Conrad's great novel involving a South American silver mine, and the corruption and dishonesty fostered by its riches. Conrad was extending his "Lord Jim" theme: that the man who slowly grows rich can be a victim of the silver, not its conqueror; that wealth is not something gained but a trap for those who relinquish, however momentarily, their sense of themselves... It was no coincidence that Conrad was in severe financial straits during the years that he wrote these novels. Despite (or perhaps reflecting) the two and a half years Conrad spent laboring over NOSTROMO, the book was not widely acclaimed upon its publication: The reviews were nearly all bound to discourage the reader. [John] Buchan's estimation is characteristic: "It is not a book which the casual reader will appreciate. The sequence of events has to be sought painfully through the mazes of irrelevancy with which the author tries to mislead us. But it is a book which will repay those who give it the close attention which it deserves" [Karl]. Today there are many readers, both those who love NOSTROMO and those who cannot get through it, who would still agree with Buchan. According to Supino, the first edition consisted of 2000 domestic copies (such as this), plus 1000 colonial copies with George Bell preliminary leaves; we find NOSTROMO to be rather scarce, about third or fourth among Conrad's books. This is a bright, close-to-fine copy -- no soil, no foxing, endpapers intact, no wear other than a tiny spot on the front joint and a few faint scratches on the rear cover. Supino A10.1.0; Cagle A10a.1; one of the "Modern Library 100" great novels of the 20th Century.
First Edition of Conrad's great novel involving a South American silver mine, and the corruption and dishonesty fostered by its riches. Conrad was extending his "Lord Jim" theme: that the man who slowly grows rich can be a victim of the silver, not its conqueror; that wealth is not something gained but a trap for those who relinquish, however momentarily, their sense of themselves... It was no coincidence that Conrad was in severe financial straits during the years that he wrote these novels. Despite (or perhaps reflecting) the two and a half years Conrad spent laboring over NOSTROMO, the book was not widely acclaimed upon its publication: The reviews were nearly all bound to discourage the reader. [John] Buchan's estimation is characteristic: "It is not a book which the casual reader will appreciate. The sequence of events has to be sought painfully through the mazes of irrelevancy with which the author tries to mislead us. But it is a book which will repay those who give it the close attention which it deserves" [Karl]. Today there are many readers, both those who love NOSTROMO and those who cannot get through it, who would still agree with Buchan. According to Supino, the first edition consisted of 2000 domestic copies (such as this), plus 1000 colonial copies with George Bell preliminary leaves; we find NOSTROMO to be rather scarce, about third or fourth among Conrad's books. This is a bright, close-to-fine copy -- no soil, no foxing, endpapers intact, no wear other than a tiny spot on the front joint and a few faint scratches on the rear cover. Supino A10.1.0; Cagle A10a.1; one of the "Modern Library 100" great novels of the 20th Century.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Sumner & Stillman (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 15383
- Title
- NOSTROMO. A Tale of the Seaboard
- Author
- Conrad, Joseph
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Date Published
- 1904
- Keywords
- Modern Library 100; South America
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fiction (Early 20th Century); Maritime;
Terms of Sale
Sumner & Stillman
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Sumner & Stillman
Biblio member since 2009
Yarmouth, Maine
About Sumner & Stillman
Founded in 1980, Sumner & Stillman is a small family business providing personal service in the buying and selling of literary first editions of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) for over 30 years.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...