"Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx

Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British writer, regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language. Conrad joined the British merchant marine in 1878, and was granted British nationality in 1886. Though he did not speak English fluently until he was in his twenties, he was a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature.
Conrad's stories often revolve around a nautical setting, and depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of an impassive, inscrutable universe. For this reason, Conrad is considered an early modernist - though his works still contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many authors, such as T. S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Graham Greene, and Salman Rushdie.
See below our stock of Joseph Conrad First Editions, fine bindings, and sets.
London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1926. [Literary Essays] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.xviii; 253 [1]. With a frontispiece facsimile of the last manuscript leaf written by Conrad. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and a blind stamp to upper. Top edge green. With the plain dust-jacket..... More
London: Printed at The Morland Press, 1923. [Modern Literature] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.67; [5], blank. Hand-printed in two colours on Kelmscott hand-made paper Publisher's full limp vellum, lettered in gilt to spine, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Number 164 of 175 copies for sale, signed..... More
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1923. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.317; [3]. With the textual error ' o' for 'go', p. 221, line 2. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. Top edge lightly tinted green. With the cream illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 7/6..... More
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1923. [Literature] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[4] 317 [9]. With the textual error ' o' for 'go', p. 221, line 2. Recently bound in green half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and the original gilt-titled green cloth laid over..... More
London: Methuen and Co., 1907. [Landmark Spy novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 442; [1], imprint; [1], blank; [40], advertisement catalogue dated September 1907. Bound in publisher's burgundy coloured cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Edges of text block toned/browned, binding a little sunned to the spine..... More
London: Methuen and Co., 1908. [Short stories] FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.viii; 310 [2] 40. Advertisements to rear. Publisher's blue cloth, titles blocked in brown to upper board, gilt titles to spine. Blue 'presentation copy' stamp to title page. Bottom edge uncut. Light toning throughout, spotting..... More
London and Toronto: J.M. Dent and Sons, 1925. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp. ix; 303; 4 [advertisements]. Bound in publisher's purple textured cloth, with blind ruling to front board, publisher's logo blind stamped to front board, title in dull gilt to spine, top edge coloured dark green. In a pictorial..... More
London and Toronto: J.M. Dent and Sons, 1925. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp. ix; 303; 4 [advertisements]. Bound in publisher's purple textured cloth, with blind ruling to front board, publisher's logo blind stamped to front board, title in gilt to spine, top edge coloured dark green. Contents clean, single ink..... More
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 297; [1]; imprint; [14], advertisements. Publisher's dark green cloth with gilt titles to spine, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Owner name to flyleaf, contents shaken within case, inside paper joint cracked, gilt dulled, cloth handled. Very good..... More
New York, NY: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1920. [Literature] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Complete in 24 volumes. Octavo (22 x 16cm). Frontispiece photogravure to volume one, vignette 'Sundial' illustration to title page of each volume, which features text printed in two colours. Handsomely bound in half dark blue oasis morocco with..... More