The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

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.

First Edition Identification

In a print run of just 2,500 copies, London-based Methuen & Co. first published The Secret Agent in September of 1907. Bound in red cloth with gilt along the spine, the 442-page first edition includes an additional 40-page publisher's catalogue of books for sale at the end as well as a point of issue on the last line of p. 117: the word “be” is duplicated.

Other Collectible or Notable Editions

Harper & Brothers published the first US edition of The Secret Agent in 1907. 

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The Secret Agent.
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The Secret Agent.

by CONRAD, Joseph.

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Used
Published
1923
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London, GBR
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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… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent
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The Secret Agent

by Joseph Conrad

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Used - Very Good ++
Edition
New Edition
Published
1927
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Full-Leather
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UK: Metheun, 1927. New Edition . Full-Leather. Very Good ++. 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. New Edition 1927. (16th overall) Delux pocket edition. Bound in full leather with decorative stamping. Book is very good+ and bright. Edges lightly rubbed. Spine a little lightened. Contents good. A nice example. More images can be taken… Read more about this item
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THE SECRET AGENT.

THE SECRET AGENT.

by CONRAD, Joseph

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Used - 8vo, 270pp. Black & white illustrations. A very good hardback copy in like slipcase
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Camberwell, Victoria, AUS
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The Folio Society, 1999. 8vo, 270pp. Black & white illustrations. A very good hardback copy in like slipcase.
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THE SECRET AGENT
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THE SECRET AGENT

by Conrad, Joseph

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Used
Edition
First American Edition
Published
1907
Binding
Hardcover
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Rockville, Maryland, USA
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New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1907. First American Edition. Hardcover. Octavo, 373 pages. In Very Good minus condition. Full binding of blue cloth with orange, black, and white-inked lettering and decoration. Mild shelfwear. Fading and soiling to cloth, with title on spine very worn. Bumping to corners. Foxing and age-toning to textblock. Shelved in Case 13. 1371274. Shelved… Read more about this item
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THE SECRET AGENT: A Drama in Three Acts
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THE SECRET AGENT: A Drama in Three Acts

by Conrad, Joseph

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1923
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Middletown, Maryland, USA
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London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd., 1923. First edition, limited issue. Number 245 of 1,000 SIGNED, numbered and specially bound copies. Play based on his 1907 book of the same name. Spine a little tanned otherwise near fine in very good or better dust jacket with internal archival-tape repair to split at hinge.
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The Secret Agent [First Issue]
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The Secret Agent [First Issue]

by CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924)

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Used - Near Fine+
Edition
First Edition
Published
1907
Binding
Decorative Cloth
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Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
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London: Methuen, 1907. First Edition. Decorative Cloth. Near Fine+. First Impression (one of only 2500 copies), First Issue ("be be" on final line of p. 117, six additional text error as noted by Smith, and publisher's catalogue dated September 1907), of the "earliest and best novel portraying the character and fate of a double agent." (Barzun & Taylor)… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale

The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale

by CONRAD, Joseph

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Used - Very Good
Published
1907
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Hardcover
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Gloucester City, New Jersey, USA
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New York: Harper & Brothers, 1907. Hardcover. Very Good. First American edition. Pictorial blue cloth. Boards rubbed, spine lettering pretty much worn away, else a near very good copy.
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The Secret Agent
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The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

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Used - Fine
Published
1923
Binding
3/4 morocco
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Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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London: T Werner Laurie Ltd , 1923. 3/4 morocco. Fine. 185p octavo, a fine copy bound in 3/4 blue morocco and blue cloth. Appears to be one of the signed limiuted copies produced by this publisher. This copy without the signed limitation page and bound differently. Conrad Bibliography lists this title as a vellum… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
2010
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0140620567
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Maplewood, Missouri, USA
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Penguin Popular Classics, 2010. Very Good paperback . Paper Back. Very Good.
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The Secret Agent
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The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
1986
ISBN 10
0140432280
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Olympia, Washington, USA
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Very little wear. 269 pages are clean, tight and bright, although a few have been dog-eared. Originally published in 1907. Described as a "black satire on English society", "ironic" and as "darkly comic". My first reaction (and my daughter's, almost simultaneously) was "so he DID write something other than Heart of Darkness. (Turns out, quite… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent (a simple tale)
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The Secret Agent (a simple tale)

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Very good, no d/j, dark green boards (with some damp markings), blind-pressed titling on cover, gilt on spine; pages unmarked an
Edition
5th
Published
1914
Binding
Hardback
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Maidenhead, Berkshire, GBR
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London: Methuen & Co, 1914. 5th. hardback. Very good, no d/j, dark green boards (with some damp markings), blind-pressed titling on cover, gilt on spine; pages unmarked and tightly bound, with some tanning as expected for this age of book.. 12mo (190 x 130 / 7_"" x 5""). In the only novel Conrad set in London, The Secret… Read more about this item
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THE SECRET AGENT : A Simple Tale
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THE SECRET AGENT : A Simple Tale

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
None as Issued
Edition
Vintage Printing
Published
1953
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0385093527
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Berkeley, California, USA
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Garden City , NY: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1953. Vintage Printing . Paperback. Very Good/None as Issued. Text/BRAND NEW & Bright. Softcover/VG; sound w/nips, chips & rubs to edges & surface.Novel by Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad (1857 - 1924), dedicated to H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946). First published in 1907; this a 1953 softcover carrying a 1920 note from… Read more about this item
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Secret Agent: A Simple Tale

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Good - Cash
Jacket Condition
Good
Published
March 1980
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10
0905712404
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Bountiful, Utah, USA
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Octopus/Heinemann, March 1980. Hardcover. Good - Cash/Good. General use wear, surface and edges rubbed. Corners bumped and show wear. Pages show reader wear. DJ has edge tears, chipping and creasing. Stock photos may not look exactly like the book.
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The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Acceptable
Published
1962
Binding
Hardcover
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Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, GBR
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Longmans, 1962. Hardcover. Acceptable. 1962. New Impression. 323 pages. No dust jacket. Red cloth. Ex-library copy, with expected inserts and inscriptions. Binding remains firm. Pages have light tanning and foxing throughout. Boards have light shelf-wear with corner bumping. Light tanning to spine and edges. Water staining to spine with splits to spine ends causing cloth to be frayed.… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Modern Classics)
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The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Modern Classics)

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
1978
Binding
Soft cover
ISBN 10
0140020594
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Edmonton, Alberta, CAN
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Penguin Books, 1978. Soft cover. Very Good. In Very Good Used Condition For More Information On Condition. Please See All Photos. - Mr Verloc, The Secret Agent, Keeps A Shop In London's Soho Where He Lives With His Wife Winnie, Her Infirm Mother, And Her Idiot Brother, Stevie. When Verloc Is Reluctantly Involved In… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Edition
Reprint; Fifth Printing
Published
1994
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0140620567
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Blagoevgrad Region, BGR
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London: Penguin Books. Near Fine. 1994. Reprint; Fifth Printing. Paperback. Mass Market PB . One minor crease to front cover. ; Nice tight copy, no names or marks inside, appears unread. ; Penguin Popular Classics; 256 pages; Behind the facade of a Soho shop selling dubious merchandise lives Verloc, an overweight, indolent anarchist who conceals his political… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent
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The Secret Agent

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Good / Fair
Edition
4th Edition
Published
1914
Binding
Hardcover
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Hythe, Kent, GBR
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London: Methuen, 1914. 4th Edition . Hardcover. Good / Fair. Fourth edition. Hardback, bound in dark green cloth with gilt titling to spine. 19.5 × 13cm, 442pp + 31pp ads. Conrad's Secret Agent is a story woven around an attack on the Greenwich Observatory in 1894 masterminded by Verloc, a Russian spy working for the police, and ostensibly… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Edition
Reprint; First Printing
Published
1994
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0140620567
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Blagoevgrad Region, BGR
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London: Penguin. Near Fine. 1994. Reprint; First Printing. Paperback. Mass Market PB . Tiny ink numerals to front endpaper. ; Nice tight copy, no names inside, appears unread. ; 249 pages; Behind the facade of a Soho shop selling dubious merchandise lives Verloc, an overweight, indolent anarchist who conceals his political activities under a veneer of domesticity… Read more about this item
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The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent

by Joseph Conrad

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
1990
Binding
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN 10
0140180966
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Penguin Publishing Group, 1990. Mass Market Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Wordsworth Classics)

The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Wordsworth Classics)

by Conrad, Joseph

Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
1853260657
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
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Paperback. Good.
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