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Chance: a Tale in Two Parts
by Conrad, Joseph
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Original green gilt-decorated cloth (Cagle's binding b). Fine
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Methuen, 1914. First edition, first published state, with 1914 cancel title. Without closing quotes around Narcissus on verso of half-title. vii, [i], 406, [2] pp., + 8 pp. catalogue dated "Autumn 1913". 1 vols. 8vo. Original green gilt-decorated cloth (Cagle's binding b). Fine. First edition, first published state, with 1914 cancel title. Without closing quotes around Narcissus on verso of half-title. vii, [i], 406, [2] pp., + 8 pp. catalogue dated "Autumn 1913". 1 vols. 8vo. A fine copy of Conrad's first major commercial success. A binders' strike delayed publication, consequently all but a handful of copies of the first printing have a cancel title dated 1914 on the verso. Smith, p. 58; Cagle A17a10
Synopsis
It is a mighty force that of mere chance, absolutely irresistible yet manifesting itself often in delicate forms such for instance as the charm, true or illusory, of a human being' In Flora de Barral, the slender, dreamy, morbidly charming daughter of a parvenu financier, Conrad creates his most complex heroine and one of his most unrelenting, but not unhopeful, novels of emotional isolation. Neglected by her bankrupt father and rejected by her governess, drifting into abstraction and despair, Flora takes refuge at sea on Captain Anthony's ship, where tragedy and her transformation begin. When published in 1913, Chance was an immediate success. Arnold Bennett wrote that 'this is a discouraging book for a writer because he damn well knows he can't write as well as this'; while an anonymous reviewer in Punch declared that 'the whole thing is much nearer wizardry than workmanship'.
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Details
- Bookseller
- James Cummins Bookseller
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 261710
- Title
- Chance: a Tale in Two Parts
- Author
- Conrad, Joseph
- Format/Binding
- Vii, [i], 406, [2] pp., + 8 pp. catalogue dated "Autumn 1913". 1 vols. 8vo
- Book Condition
- Used - Original green gilt-decorated cloth (Cagle's binding b). Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition, first published state, with 1914 cancel title. Wi
- Publisher
- Methuen
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1914
- Keywords
- British
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
James Cummins Bookseller
All items, as usual, are guaranteed as described and are returnable within 30 days if not as described. Within the United States, all books are shipped UPS unless otherwise requested (please provide a street address). Overseas orders should specify shipping preference. All postage is extra. New clients are requested to send remittance with your orders. Libraries may apply for deferred billing. All New York and New Jersey residents must add the appropriate sales tax. We accept American Express, Master Card, and Visa. All items are subject to prior sale; prices are subject to change.
About the Seller
James Cummins Bookseller
Biblio member since 2009
New York, New York
About James Cummins Bookseller
Founded in 1978 by James Cummins, the firm has grown to include two New Jersey locations as well as the main store at 699 Madison Avenue (between 62nd and 63rd Streets) in New York City.Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (During July & August, until 4:00 p.m. on Fridays.)The Madison Avenue store is a seventh-floor oasis for book-lovers, a quiet and pleasantly furnished book room with a carefully chosen, expertly catalogued and broad-based selection of fine and rare books, autographs, manuscripts, and works of art. We have built notable private collections for American and international clients. Our stock is always changing, and our steady input from private buying and public auctions assures our clients of new surprises (and temptations!) at each visit. Our stock covers a wide range of collecting interests, with particular emphasis in the following fields: British and American Literature, Sporting Books, Private Press and Illustrated Books, 19th-Century Color Plate Books, Americana, Travel, Sets and Fine Bindings, History, and Authors' Manuscripts and Letters. Our catalogued inventory exceeds 50,000 titles, much of which can be searched on the internet. In addition, our New Jersey warehouse contains over 400,000 books in all subject areas. We might have the books you're looking for.
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...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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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