Books

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1896. 1 page preliminary undated ads. Original dark green cloth. First Edition of Conrad's second book, preceded only by (and containing many of the same characters as) ALMAYER'S FOLLY. After Edward Garnett (then a reader at Unwin's) had "discovered" Conrad and had published his first book, he worked very closely with Conrad on this one -- so much so that some biographers have suggested that Garnett's name should have appeared on the title page as co-author. AN OUTCAST is considered the middle volume of Conrad's only trilogy; the third volume, which he began right after AN OUTCAST but could not complete for almost a quarter of a century, was ultimately published in 1920 as THE RESCUE. The number of copies issued (including those for the colonial market) is uncertain but has been estimated between 3,000 and 6,000. This is quite a bright copy, in very good-plus condition (a couple of tiny nicks in the spine ends and a few cover marks and edge-dents). Supino A2.1.0 (this copy); Cagle A2a.1. Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.

An Outcast of the Islands is a novel by Joseph Conrad, first published in 1896. The book follows the story of Peter Willems, a Dutch-Belgian tramp with a troubled past, who finds himself involved in treacherous local politics in a colonial setting.