Conrad, Joseph

8vo, first English edition, presentation copy inscribed by the author to Violet Hunt and Ford Hueffer ("To | Violet and Ford Hueffer | from | J.C. | 1915") on front free endpaper, 4pp. publisher's advertisements ("Methuen's Popular Novels") and 31pp. publisher's catalogue dated 8/5/15 at end, original red linen finish cloth lettered in gilt on spine, dust-jacket, some spotting, minor ink stain to title-page, minor loss to front fixed endpaper, extremities slightly bumped, dust-jacket frayed and torn at extremities with some loss to lower panel and top of spine, dust-jacket strengthened on reverse

Violet Hunt and Ford Madox Ford, authorial inscription, William Marchbank, bookplate; Edward Naumburg, Jr.; Maurice F. Neville, his sale, Sotheby's New York, 13 April 2004, lot 31

Cagle A19b(1)

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

Rare in the pictorial dust-jacket. This copy is the variant, noted by Cagle, in which the comma in the second line of the imprint has been dropped.

Ford began his affair with the writer Violet Hunt in 1909 while he was married to Elsie Martindale Hueffer. Hunt became Ford's mistress and when Elsie Hueffer refused a divorce, the couple went abroad. They returned in 1913 "with the implausible and unsubstantiated claim that he had obtained a divorce in Germany" (see Knowles and Moore, p.140). In his inscription Conrad appears to accept this position. For a longer note on Ford, his central importance to Conrad as a collaborator, amanuensis and editor, and Ford's tangled marital and extra-marital life, see lot 35.