THE ROVER

First edition in book form, first printing. Limited edition, signed by the author. Publisher's original cream paper covered boards, illustrated and with titles in gilt to the upper board and spine, in both the original glassine and blue paper dustwrapper, housed in the publisher's card slipcase. Top edge gilt, all others uncut. Frontispiece portrait from an etching by Muirhead Bone, complete with printed tissue guard. A superb very near fine copy, the binding square and tight, the boards bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. There is a clean closed tear to the fore-edge of the rear endpaper. Complete with the fine plain glassine, underneath the very lightly rubbed blue paper jacket, printed in black to the spine. Both jackets remain without fading, loss or tears. Housed in the worn card slipcase, darkened to all sides and split to one side of the upper edge. The printed label to the backstrip (hand numbered 137 corresponding with that on the limitation page), although toned and a little rubbed at the corners remains without loss. An excellent example, seldom encountered thus.

Conceived as a short story and expanded to become Conrad's last full novel, 'The Rover' was first serialised over four issues of Pictorial Review magazine between September and December 1923. The first edition in book form was issued in a limited edition of 377 copies, each individually numbered and signed by Joseph Conrad in black ink on the limitation page. Both the UK and US trade editions followed later.