Conrad, Joseph.

8vo, first edition, presentation copy inscribed by the author to the widow of stephen crane ("To | Cora Crane | with the author's | friendly regards. | 16th Dec 1900"), recipient's address on upper paste-down, original green cloth lettered and decorated in black, some slight spotting and offsetting, cloth binding very slightly stained, slightly bowed

Cagle A5a(1); Smith 5

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"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."

a rare early inscribed presentation copy of conrad's major novel, inscribed one week after publication. No earlier presentation copy is recorded. It is known that the author inscribed a number of copies on this day to close friends (including, for instance, John Galsworthy).

This is a poignant association copy, since Conrad's close friend, the American writer Stephen Crane (1871--1900) had died of tuberculosis on 5th June the same year, aged only 28. Conrad had befriended the brilliant young writer (author of The Red Badge of Courage) after Crane had come to England to settle in the summer of 1897. They met in October the same year, and soon spent many days at Conrad's house Ivy Walls, or in London, or elsewhere, where they developed a close friendship and would converse about literature and compare experiences. Crane had spent time reporting on the Cuban insurrection, during which he and a small party of passengers spent 30 hours adrift off the coast of Florida, an experience later transformed into his most famous short story The Open Boat (1898). He also reported on the Greece-Turkey war, when he met the adventuress Cora Stewart, the wife of the Briton, Captain Donald Stewart (later governor of the British East Africa Protectorate, modern-day Kenya). It appears Cora (1868-1910) and Stephen Crane never formalised their marriage since Cora's first husband Donald Stewart refused a divorce. Indeed it was partly to escape her past (as well as to escape the American press's reception of Stephen's books) that the couple decided to make a fresh start in England in 1897. After her Crane's death Cora returned to Jacksonville in America where she ran an elegant brothel. After her legal husband's death she married again, only to discover that her new husband (Hammond McNeil) was a violent drunkard, who subsequently murdered a young man called Harry Parker whilst Parker was on a picnic with Cora. She died shortly afterwards and is buried in Jacksonville's Evergreen cemetry.

One of Crane's last actions before being moved from England to  Badenweiler in a vain attempt to save his life was to write to Sanford Bennett asking if wires could be pulled to find a place for Conrad on the civil list ("...please do me that last favour...I am sure you will...": quoted by Jocelyn Baines, Joseph Conrad. A Critical Biography).