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Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

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Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

by Conrad, Joseph

  • Used
  • very good
  • first
Condition
Very Good
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Seller rating:
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Portland, Oregon, United States
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About This Item

London: Harper & Brothers, 1904. First Edition. Very Good. 480pp. First British edition, first printing; first state with page 187 numbered as 871 and final page correctly numbered. Bound in publisher's dark blue cloth stamped in light blue, with titles in gilt on the spine. Very Good or better, with rubbing to cloth at extremities, several small spots to textblock edge, toning to pages and foxing mainly to early and terminal pages. A lovely copy.

Synopsis

Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is often regarded as author’s most ambitious work. The novel is set in the mining town of Sulaco, a port in the fictitious South American republic of Costaguana. The region has history of tyranny, revolution, and war, but more recently, the area has enjoyed newfound stability. Charles "don Carlos" Gould aims to promote this time of peace and prosperity by reopening his family’s silver mine in order to contribute to the local economy and, of course, personally profit. But as the political climate intensifies once again, Gould finds that he must pay off various armed revolutionaries in addition to government officials, bandits, and the church in order to stay in business. In this political commentary on imperialism, no character wins; all are dealt ironic fates. Originally published serially in two volumes of T.P.'s Weekly, Nostromo is ranked 47th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. In 1991, a film adaptation of Nostromo, starring Marlon Brando, among others, was to be produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by David Lean, but Lean died a few weeks before filming began. In 1996, a television adaptation of the novel was produced and aired on the BBC, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Televisión Española, and WGBH Boston. Nostromo has often been referenced in other works. Much of the story in Andrew M. Greeley's Virgin and Martyr (1985) is set in the fictional country of Costaguana — and many of the other place names in the work are borrowed from Nostromo as well. Perhaps more familiar: In Ridley Scott's 1979 science-fiction horror film, Alien, the spacecraft is named the Nostromo and in James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens, the Marine transport vessel is named Sulaco.

Read More: Identifying first editions of Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

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Details

Bookseller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
140940380
Title
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Author
Conrad, Joseph
Book Condition
Used - Very Good
Quantity Available
1
Edition
First Edition
Publisher
Harper & Brothers
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
1904
Bookseller catalogs
Literature;

Terms of Sale

Burnside Rare Books, ABAA

30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.

About the Seller

Burnside Rare Books, ABAA

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon

About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA

Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Rubbing
Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
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....
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...
First State
used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...

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