The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Conrad, Joseph
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0141182628
- ISBN 13
- 9780141182629
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
2 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item
Paperback. Very Good.
Synopsis
The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale is one of Joseph Conrad’s later novels. Set in London in 1886, the novel tells the story of Adolf Verloc, a member of a largely ineffectual anarchist group who is also a secret agent, and an operation with unforeseen consequences. In his Author’s Note written in 1920, Conrad explains that the plot of the novel was inspired by the Greenwich Bomb Outrage of February 1894. In this event, explosives prematurely detonated in the hands of French anarchist named Martial Bourdin on the grounds of the Greenwich Observatory. What fascinated Conrad the most about the Greenwich Bomb Outrage was the fact that the motives remained a mystery. Through themes of espionage, anarchism, and terrorism based on horrific, but true events, The Secret Agent questions the world's capacity for reason and order in a smart, yet skeptical way. Perhaps this explains why the novel is said to be one of the three most talked-about works of literature in the media immediately after 9/11. The Secret Agent did not sell well initially, but is now considered a classic. The novel is ranked 46th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. The Secret Agent has undergone multiple adaptations for both the stage and the screen. Perhaps most notable is Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film, Sabotage, loosely based on the novel, though many changes to the plot and characters were made. (Not to be confused with another 1936 Hitchcock film, Secret Agent, based on short stories by W. Somerset Maugham.) Fun fact: The Secret Agent is said to have greatly influenced Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. Kaczynski, who engaged in a nationwide bombing campaign in the US between 1978 and 1995, strongly identified with the Professor, the villain of the novel.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Details
- Bookseller
- World of Books Ltd
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- GOR003360727
- Title
- The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Penguin Modern Classics)
- Author
- Conrad, Joseph
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 2
- ISBN 10
- 0141182628
- ISBN 13
- 9780141182629
- Publisher
- Penguin Classics
- Place of Publication
- London
- This edition first published
- March 30, 2000
Terms of Sale
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World of Books Ltd
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex
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- Wob: Through Wob, we sell. We provide affordable, preloved books and media to customers all over the world. A book leaves our collection of over seven million titles and begins a new chapter every two seconds, enabling more goods to be reused.
- Ziffit: Through Ziffit, we buy. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media.
- Shopiago: Through Shopiago, we help others. By sharing the technology that has grown World of Books Group into the business it is today, we're helping charities increase revenue and reduce waste through re-commerce.
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