Conrad, Joseph

8vo, first collected edition of these two plays, Gérard Jean-Aubry's copy, with an original sketch by Conrad tipped-in on p.18, indicating the correct stage layout and the positioning of the characters in Laughing Anne (with note by Jean-Aubry a the bottom "Plan de la scene. | Fait par Joseph Conrad"), original green cloth, dust-jacket, preserved in green cloth case and matching slipcase, slight offsetting to endpapers, slight browning to jacket

Gérard Jean-Aubry (see above)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing unless otherwise stated.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Laughing Anne was first published separately in 1923, and  One Day More first published in 1917. According to the publisher's note on the jacket, "The publication of these two plays was one of the last matters dealt with by the Author, who was to have written a Preface to this volume. His death occured before this could be done..." (Galsworthy provided the introduction instead). The sketch included here for Laughing Anne may have been sent to Jean-Aubry at around the same time Conrad wrote to him in December 1920, describing the work "as a play for Grand Guignol (English), 2 acts, 3 scenes. It will play forty minutes" (quoted by Knowles and Moore). Laughing Anne was not performed until 15 June 2000, in a production at the University of Glamorgan in Wales, before touring elsewhere.

Gérard Jean-Aubry (see lot 124) was the pen-name of the French music critic and translator Jean-Frederic-Emile Aubry (1882-1950), a close friend of Conrad' s and his first major biographer, appointed by the author himself (Joseph Conrad. Life and Letters, Heinemann, 1927)