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The Secret Agent.: A Drama in Three Acts.
by CONRAD, Joseph
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: privately printed for subscribers only by T. Werner Laurie Ltd,, 1923. First edition thus of Conrad's dramatisation of his 1907 novel, number 285 of 1,000 copies signed by the author, and very scarce retaining the dust jacket in such nice condition. "The Secret Agent received a high-profile, if short, run at the Ambassadors Theatre in November 1922. Although some acquaintances of Conrad - including Hastings and Galsworthy - could be harsh in their condemnation of Conrad's theatrical naïveté, others were more supportive. Particularly noteworthy in this regard is Arnold Bennett, who believed that The Secret Agent as a play was 'the best I have seen for a very, very long time, and by a long way the best'. As for its disappointing run, Bennett contended that the play was simply ahead of its time for a London theatre scene fed on dishonest pap" (Hand, Joseph Conrad in Context, p. 94). In 1921 Conrad had a piece entitled "The Secret Agent. Drama in Four Acts" privately printed in a run of 52 copies only, this revised text derived from the script for the run at the Ambassadors the next year. Octavo. Original vellum-backed pale blue boards, label to spine printed in red, pale blue endpapers, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. With dust jacket. Photogravure portrait frontispiece with tissue guard. Fine, in near-fine jacket with hint of sunning and rubbing; a very sharp copy.
Synopsis
The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale is one of Joseph Conrad’s later novels. Set in London in 1886, the novel tells the story of Adolf Verloc, a member of a largely ineffectual anarchist group who is also a secret agent, and an operation with unforeseen consequences. In his Author’s Note written in 1920, Conrad explains that the plot of the novel was inspired by the Greenwich Bomb Outrage of February 1894. In this event, explosives prematurely detonated in the hands of French anarchist named Martial Bourdin on the grounds of the Greenwich Observatory. What fascinated Conrad the most about the Greenwich Bomb Outrage was the fact that the motives remained a mystery. Through themes of espionage, anarchism, and terrorism based on horrific, but true events, The Secret Agent questions the world's capacity for reason and order in a smart, yet skeptical way. Perhaps this explains why the novel is said to be one of the three most talked-about works of literature in the media immediately after 9/11. The Secret Agent did not sell well initially, but is now considered a classic. The novel is ranked 46th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. The Secret Agent has undergone multiple adaptations for both the stage and the screen. Perhaps most notable is Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film, Sabotage, loosely based on the novel, though many changes to the plot and characters were made. (Not to be confused with another 1936 Hitchcock film, Secret Agent, based on short stories by W. Somerset Maugham.) Fun fact: The Secret Agent is said to have greatly influenced Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. Kaczynski, who engaged in a nationwide bombing campaign in the US between 1978 and 1995, strongly identified with the Professor, the villain of the novel.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 152975
- Title
- The Secret Agent.
- Author
- CONRAD, Joseph
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: privately printed for subscribers only by T. Werner Laurie Ltd,
- Date Published
- 1923
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- 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...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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....
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