Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Joseph Conrad. The Children of the Sea (U.S. edition of Nigger of the Narcissus). Dodd, Mead, 1897.
Price: US$90.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 1897 is the only date cited, but this copy is in the later binding. Modest rubbing at the corners and spine ends, scattered discolorations.
Seller: Dunaway Books, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.
CONRAD, Joseph. THE CHILDREN OF THE SEA; A tale of the forecastle. Dodd, Mead, NY, 1897.
Price: US$90.00 + shipping
Description: 12mo, pp. 217. Frontis illustration. Owner's name on title. Navy blue cloth stamped in light blue and white. Cover somewhat worn at edges and ends of spine, front hinge tender, o/w VG. This was later issued as "The Nigger of Narcissus"
Seller: Second Life Books, Inc., Lanesborough, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 8vo., [iv], 217 pp., title-page printed in red and black. Variant title of The Nigger of the Narcissus. Original pictorial cloth with lettering in gilt, and partial image of ship and water. Boards a bit washed out as often; hinges cracking. First issue with "Island" for "Islands" on the title-page, and 1897 printed instead of 1898. The original title was restored for all subsequent editions.
Seller: Sanctuary Books, A.B.A.A., New York, NY, U.S.A.
Conrad, Joseph. The Children of the Sea. Dodd, Mead, NY, 1897.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, later printing with no date on copyright page but with 1897 on copyright page and no additional printings listed. Dark green ribbed cloth lettered in gilt. 217 pps. Frontispiece illustration by Ray Brown. Very good, modest wear at the extremities, some light offsetting to the title page.
Seller: Old Book Shop of Bordentown (ABAA, ILAB), Bordentown, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Description: 217pp. Sextodecimo [16 cm] Dark blue cloth covered boards with white ink stamped titles and a white and light blue ink stamped maritime vignette on the front cover. Good only. The covers are rubbed. The bottom edge of the rear cover is ever so slightly moisture stained. The cloth at the spine ends is chipped, and there is a 1/4 inch split in the cloth at the head of the spine. The rear hinge has been professionally reinforced with similar tissue. The pages are slightly yellowed. Pp. 28 and 29 have large darkened patches. The text block is cracked several times. From 1896 through 1904 Conrad wrote novels about places he visited as a merchant marine and he dove into themes such as the uncertainties of human sympathy. His early novels included An Outcast of the Islands (1896), this one, originally titled The Nigger of the "Narcissus" (1897), The Heart of Darkness (1899), and Lord Jim (1900).
Seller: Ken Sanders Rare Books, ABAA, Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.
Price: US$395.00 + shipping
Description: First US Edition 217 pp., First edition, preceding British ed. All subsequent editions were published as 'The Nigger of the Narcissus'. Blue/grey cloth over board with front cover illustration, gilt titles. No dust jacket. Partial light foxing on ffep. Some obscured staining in binding, light wear to edges, gilt partially dulled. Generally good firm copy.
Seller: Book Stage, Stratford, ON, Canada
Price: US$950.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Conrad's best work of his early period. The book was subsequently published as "The Nigger of the Narcissus." Conrad wrote this story with the "Nigger" title, but consented to change the title for the American edition (which preceded the English); the publisher's argument was not that the "Nigger" title might be offensive, but rather that the white American book-buying public would not buy the book if they knew it was about a black man. Nonetheless, the original title was restored for all subsequent editions, making this variant-titled edition one of the more sought-after of Conrad's works. In the story a ship picks up a black man named James Wait. He soon falls ill, and the other sailors tend to him as he dies. They discover some basic truths about society as a whole. First Edition, first issue, with "Island" for "Islands" on the title-page and the headline and page number not printed on p. 58. Provenance: American novelist Winston Churchill signature in pencil on ffep. Dark blue cloth covered boards with gilt titles and a white and light blue maritime pictorial front cover. Light soiling to the covers only.
Seller: Sekkes Consultants, North Dighton, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1850.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition. 217pp. 1 vols. 12mo. With "Island" for "Islands" on the title-page and the headline and page number not printed on p. 58. Published on November 30, 1897 in an edition of 1,000 copies. The London edition was published as The Nigger of the "Narcissus" on December 2, 1897, in an edition of 1,500 copies. Cagle A3b(1); Smith 3; Wise 4 Original light blue grey pictorial cloth. Bookplate of Charles Whitney Carpenter First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Conrad, Joseph. The Children of the Sea. Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1897.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition. 1 vols. 8vo. With "Island" for "Islands" on the title-page and the headline and page number not printed on p. 58. Published on November 30, 1897 in an edition of 1,000 copies. The London edition was published as The Nigger of the "Narcissus" on December 2, 1897, in an edition of 1,500 copies. Cagle A3b Original pictorial light gray cloth. Fine copy. Burgundy morocco backed slipcase and cloth chemise First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition. 1 vols. 12mo. With "Island" for "Islands" on the title-page and the headline and page number not printed on p. 58. Published on November 30, 1897 in an edition of 1,000 copies. The London edition was published as The Nigger of the "Narcissus" on December 2, 1897, in an edition of 1,500 copies. Ca217ppgle A3b(1); Smith 3; Wise 4 Light blue grey pictorial cloth. Fine in red calf gilt stamped clamshell box First edition of The Nigger of the "Narcissus", preceding the London edition.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
CONRAD, JOSEPH. The Children of the Sea. Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1897.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Light washed out blue cloth with gilt titles and nautical design on front panel. Housed in brown leather and blue cloth clamshell box. This1st US edition of "The Nigger of the Narcissus", precedes the 1st UK by 3 days. Near fine copy with small piece of front endpaper laid in. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall
Seller: Contact Editions, ABAC, ILAB, Toronto, ON, Canada