Lord Jim. A Tale

Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood & Sons, 1900. First edition. Near Fine. Original green cloth, titles to spine in gilt and to front board in black, untrimmed. Cloth extremely bright and fresh. Contemporary prize inscription covering most of the front end paper, light to moderate foxing throughout. In Near Fine condition overall.

First edition in book form, first impression, with all the first issue points, including the misprint "anyrate" p. 77, line 5, the omission of "keep" after "can" on p. 226, 7 lines from the bottom, followed by the misprint "cure" (instead of "cured") on the same line, and "his" p. 319, last line, printed slightly dropped below the line. The novel first appeared as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900.

An adventure story touching on two of the most critical human experiences: failure and redemption. Early in his maritime career, a British seaman Jim joins fellow crew members in abandoning their ship and its passengers in a moment of danger. When the passengers are rescued by the French navy, Jim is the only member who stands trial, testifies, and as a result loses his certificate to sail. Jim's sense of shame and failure follow him throughout the novel, despite his friend Captain Marlow's encouragement to move forward and seek new successes. Since its publication, Lord Jim has been praised as one of Conrad's greatest works, along with Heart of Darkness, for its complex structure and compelling examination of the human psyche.

Modern Library 100 Best English Language Novels of the 20th Century. Le Monde's 100 Books in English. Near Fine.