Description

Description: Famed novelist Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was born to Polish parents in what is today a part of Ukraine and became a British national in 1886. He chose to write in English, though it was his third language. He explored morality and the darker side of human nature in his works, which were often set at sea. He is best remembered for his works Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, and Typhoon.

We have here an exemplification of Conrad’s Will, with the signature and seal of the Registrar at the Principal Registry of the Probate Division of His Majesty’s High Court of Justice, dated April 20, 1925. Conrad’s Will, dated August 8, 1922, is transcribed in full here, and the gross value of his estate is declared on the backer to be £20,045 : 5s : 8p. Among the provisions for his wife and two sons, Conrad includes a clause in the Will stating that "Mr. Eric Seabrooke Pinker should continue to act under [my trustees] as Literary agent as long as he remains in that business."

The document itself is on four sheets of thick paper measuring approximately 13.5" x 26", each folded in half, and covers five of the resulting pages. The backer measures approximately 13.5" x 20", is attached with a white ribbon, and is folded in thirds around the document. Item #DA00127

Condition: The backer protected the document, and so has light soil/toning and a few tiny splatter stains. There are also inked initals and a few stray pen lines on the backer, which has some small separations along the folds as well. The document itself is in very good condition, with just a bit of light soil and a few creased/bumped corners.