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The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Joseph Conrad
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Good
- ISBN 10
- 0141182628
- ISBN 13
- 9780141182629
- Seller
-
Nashua, New Hampshire, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Penguin Classics, 2000-03-27. paperback. Good. 5x0x7. Has heavy shelf wear, but still a good reading copy. A portion of your purchase of this book will be donated to non-profit organizations.Over 1,000,000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders.
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: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Book Cellar
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 10837844
- Title
- The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
- Author
- Joseph Conrad
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0141182628
- ISBN 13
- 9780141182629
- Publisher
- Penguin Classics
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 2000-03-27
- Size
- 5x0x7
- X weight
- 7 oz
Terms of Sale
The Book Cellar
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About the Seller
The Book Cellar
Biblio member since 2003
Nashua, New Hampshire
About The Book Cellar
The Book Cellar is one of New England's largest used book dealers. We specialize in college textbooks, but also offer a number of used fiction and non-fiction books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Reading Copy
- Indicates a book that is perfectly serviceable for reading. It may have a defect or damage. As such, reading copy is not a...
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