A SET OF SIX

1915. Garden City NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1915. Original dark blue cloth.

First American Edition. The English edition had been published in 1908, and in the same year one of the six stories, "The Duel," was published alone by McClure of New York (as "The Point of Honor"). A few months later McClure went under and was bought out by Doubleday -- but since Doubleday could not acquire the copyright to most of the other five tales (because they had already been published in England), he was in no hurry to publish this volume -- until the success of CHANCE in 1913 prompted him to do so. Hence the seven-year delay of the American A SET OF SIX. In his "author's note" Conrad expresses his satisfaction at having this tale restored "to its proper home and surroundings," rather than cutting down the American edition to "A Set of Five." The volume is "rounded out" with the addition of "The Romantic Story of Joseph Conrad," much of it gleaned from Richard Curle's biography of the year before. This is a copy from the first printing (without a double-rule border around the title page); the second printing was for the limp leather "Deep Sea" format, and the third printing does have the double-rule border. It is in very good condition (minor shelf-wear at the corners, plus indications that it was formerly in the Library of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco -- now stamped "Discarded"). We find this to be one of the scarcer American editions of Conrad. Supino A13.12.0 (this copy); Cagle A13d. Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino (also, loosely inserted is a former description of this book, bearing Supino collation notes).