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The Secret Agent

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The Secret Agent

by Conrad, Joseph

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Very Good
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Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Garrison, New York, United States
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About This Item

New York: Harper & Brothers. Original publishers illustrated boards spine sunned. First edition. . Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1909.

Synopsis

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.

Read More: Identifying first editions of The Secret Agent

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Details

Bookseller
J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
000884
Title
The Secret Agent
Author
Conrad, Joseph
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used - Very Good
Quantity Available
1
Edition
1st Edition
Publisher
Harper & Brothers
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
1909

Terms of Sale

J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints

Payment can be made by credit card, checks made out to J Mercurio Books, or PayPal. Shipment usually occurs within two business days, unless customer requests that we hold or ship on a different day. If a book or set is oversized, we may contact the customer for additional shipping to ensure proper transport.

About the Seller

J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2019
Garrison, New York

About J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints

We are a 50 year old, third generation antiquarian bookshop nestled in the bucolic Hudson Highlands of New York's historic Hudson Valley, less than a mile from a transverse of the Appalachian Trail. While we have strong first edition literature and poetry collections, we specialize in New York, history, and Americana. We are a proud member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA).

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

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...
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....
Sunned
Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...

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