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Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
by Conrad, Joseph
- Used
- first
- Condition
- About Fine
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Harper & Brothers, 1904. First Edition. About Fine. First British edition, first printing; first state with page 187 numbered as 871 and final page correctly numbered. Bound in publisher's dark blue cloth stamped in light blue, with titles in gilt on the spine. About Fine with slight dulling to spine, slight rippling to cloth at fore edge of rear cover, former owner bookplate to front pastedown, rear inner hinge slightly cracked. A much nicer copy than normally encountered with the title stamping on the upper board unusually sharp and crisp.
Synopsis
Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is often regarded as author’s most ambitious work. The novel is set in the mining town of Sulaco, a port in the fictitious South American republic of Costaguana. The region has history of tyranny, revolution, and war, but more recently, the area has enjoyed newfound stability. Charles "don Carlos" Gould aims to promote this time of peace and prosperity by reopening his family’s silver mine in order to contribute to the local economy and, of course, personally profit. But as the political climate intensifies once again, Gould finds that he must pay off various armed revolutionaries in addition to government officials, bandits, and the church in order to stay in business. In this political commentary on imperialism, no character wins; all are dealt ironic fates. Originally published serially in two volumes of T.P.'s Weekly, Nostromo is ranked 47th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. In 1991, a film adaptation of Nostromo, starring Marlon Brando, among others, was to be produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by David Lean, but Lean died a few weeks before filming began. In 1996, a television adaptation of the novel was produced and aired on the BBC, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Televisión Española, and WGBH Boston. Nostromo has often been referenced in other works. Much of the story in Andrew M. Greeley's Virgin and Martyr (1985) is set in the fictional country of Costaguana — and many of the other place names in the work are borrowed from Nostromo as well. Perhaps more familiar: In Ridley Scott's 1979 science-fiction horror film, Alien, the spacecraft is named the Nostromo and in James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens, the Marine transport vessel is named Sulaco.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
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Details
- Bookseller
- Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 140944823
- Title
- Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
- Author
- Conrad, Joseph
- Book Condition
- Used - About Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Harper & Brothers
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1904
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon
About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Cracked
- In reference to a hinge or a book's binding, means that the glue which holds the opposing leaves has allowed them to separate,...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Fore Edge
- The portion of a book that is opposite the spine. That part of a book which faces the wall when shelved in a traditional...
- 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...
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