THE SHADOW LINE. A Confession

1917. Garden City NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1917. Original blue cloth decorated in gilt, with dust jacket.

First American Edition, published about a month after Dent's London edition, of one of Conrad's most autobiographical tales. To quote from the dust jacket, The "shadow line" is that dim boundary that divides youth from maturity. How a young first mate, who unexpectedly finds himself in command of a sailing vessel, leaves his carefree youth behind forever in the agonizing responsibility of a twenty-one day voyage from Bankok [sic] to Singapore. His ship is becalmed, the whole crew stricken with fever and no quinine in the medicine (truncated) chest! The American edition was set from proof sheets supplied by Dent, after which Conrad made changes that were effected in the UK edition but not in the US one; as a result, "the American edition provides an interesting intermediate text between the English Review [appearance] and the first Dent edition, showing the extensive changes made from serial to copy text for the book, as well as the further polishing which took place in proof" [Cagle]. This volume is in just-about-fine condition (a trace of rubbing at the corners). Included is the scarce 1917 dust jacket, which is scarcer than the Dent dust jacket; American jackets reading "Doubleday Doran" on their spines are from later printings after 1927. The jacket is in good-to-very good condition (separated at the rear hinge and partly along the front flap, slightly chipped at the spine ends, dampstain at the lower edge). Supino A20.4.0; Cagle A21b.1. (Inventory #: 15647)