Joseph Conrad, Albert Camus and one other

A group of four volumes, comprising:

CONRAD, Joseph (1857-1924). The Secret Agent. A Simple Tale. London: Methuen & Co., 1907.
First edition of one of Conrad's most popular novels and one of his scarcest first editions. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Cyril Connolly chose two books by Conrad for his 100 key books of the modern movement; one a collection of three long stories and this novel. Cagel A12a(1). Octavo. 40pp. of publisher’s ads at end (light browning, spotting to fore-edge and prelims, a few marginal marks). Original red cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt (very light wear, spine a touch faded). Provenance: P.M.F (skull bookplate to front pastedown).

— An Outcast of the Islands. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1914.
Presentation copy of the second edition, third printing overall. Octavo. Decorative title (a couple of inconsequential splits to textblock, one short marginal tear). Original red cloth, spine and upper cover with titles, spine with further decoration, all stamped in gilt, top edge stained green (cocked, extremities faintly rubbed, spine sunned, front free endpaper nearly detached). Provenance: Percival Gibbon (1879-1926; a close friend of Conrad, whom he met during his posting to France as a war correspondent, authorial presentation inscription to front free endpaper: ‘Percival Gibbon with love from J. Conrad 1914’).

MOORE, Brian (1921-1999). Judith Hearne. London: Andre Deutsch Limited, 1955.
First edition, presentation copy, of a bleak and sensitive portrayal of a middle-aged woman in 1950s Belfast. Octavo. Original burgundy cloth, spine lettered in gilt (spine just rolled). Original dust-jacket designed by Heather Standring (a few tiny creases and nicks, small tears to foot of backstrip, spine a touch sunned); modern buckram clamshell box. Provenance: Wilfred (authorial presentation inscription to half-title).

CAMUS, Albert (1913-1960), with introduction by Cyril CONNOLLY (1903-1974). The Outsider. Translated from the French by Stuart Gilbert. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1946.
First English edition of an existentialist classic, first published in French in 1942 as L'Étranger. Octavo. Original grey-blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt (spine a little faded); original dust-jacket (a few tiny nicks, lower panel lightly marked, spine sunned).