The Arrow of Gold
Price: $85.00
Hardcover. London: T. Fisher Unwin Ltd., 1919. 1st Edition. Very Good.
First English edition, second state with damage to "A" on heading of p. 67. Publisher's green cloth, front board and spine stamped in gilt. Very good, with light toning to spine, ~1" wormhole to foot of front spine joint, small chip to cloth at foot of spine, bottom and right edge of front board worn, a touch of rubbing to head of spine, corners lightly bumped, light offsetting to endpapers, and mild toning to pages. Overall, a clean copy. Housed in a custom sea-green paper covered slipcase with a bit of wear. Wise 41. The Arrow of Gold is set in Marseilles during the Third Carlist War (1872-1876). In this story, the sea-faring narrator, Monsieur George, runs dangerous missions for supporters of the Carlist pretender, Don Carlos de Bourbon. Monsieur George eventually falls in love with the financial backer of his missions, a beautiful heiress named Do?a Rita, leading to a climactic duel with another lover of hers, Confederate veteran Captain John Blunt. The Arrow of Gold received critical acclaim upon its release, with the New York Times Review calling it, "tense, dramatic, vibrant with the thrill of a great passion? written in that intensely individual, flexible style which renders this man of Polish birth one of the most distinguished among the living writers of English." Conrad bibliographer Thomas J. Wise writes, "Although not ranking as a Conrad princeps, the First English Edition of The Arrow of Gold is yet a desirable book to the reader as well as the collector. Its text embodies certain corrections which, though duly forwarded to America, did not arrive there in time for incorporation in the original edition of the novel." Item #JC099
