TYPHOON and Other Stories by Conrad, Joseph - 1903

1903. London: William Heinemann, 1903. 2 pp preliminary ads + 32 pp terminal ads, undated. Original dark grey cloth with front-cover life preserver in gilt. First Edition, first (i.e. non-Colonial) issue, limited to 1,500 copies. In addition to the title tale, the "other stories" are "Amy Foster," "Falk" and "To-morrow" ("Falk" is the tale that centers upon Conrad's often-recurring theme of cannibalism). "Typhoon" had been published in New York in 1902, prior to Conrad's final revisions that are reflected in the text of this English edition; the other three appear in book form for the first time here. This is a "pure" domestic copy, with the domestic half-title and title leaves; demand from British booksellers was so great that the binder subsequently had to create "hybrid" copies, transferring colonial copies to the domestic market and back again. It is in Cagle's binding "a" -- with 110mm between "Conrad" and "Heinemann" on the spine, and with the pages trimmed at the top edge only. This copy does include the 32-page ad catalogue that is present in some but not all copies. Its condition is very good-plus, perhaps near-fine: it is bright and has scarcely any wear, but there is some bubbling of the cloth, a flaw that frequently afflicts this Heinemann title. Cagle A8b(1).