A Set of Six

A Set of Six (1908) is one of Conrad's most versatile and varied compositions, embracing diverse interests and settings, multiple tonal qualities and a medley of short-story forms (ranging from the novella in 'The Duel' to the anecdotal tale in 'The Informer'). The volume's wide-ranging introduction offers a careful evaluation of the origins and sources of the individual stories, while also measuring their early reception as a published collection. Explanatory notes clarify literary and historical references, identify real-life places and people, and indicate borrowings and Gallicisms. The lengthy textual essay and its accompanying apparatus lay out the history of composition and publication, detailing interventions made by Conrad's typists, compositors and editors. Also included are appendices, allowing the reader first-hand access to Conrad's source material; glossaries of nautical and foreign terms; and illustrations in the form of maps and reproductions of early drafts. By returning to (and respecting) Conrad's own early manuscript and typescript forms, this edition presents the collection and its preface in a form more authoritative than any so far printed.

Allan H. Simmons is Emeritus Professor at St Mary's University, Twickenham. He is General Editor of the Cambridge Edition, for which he has edited a number of volumes, including An Outcast of the Islands (2016) and The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' (2017). A member of the executive of the Joseph Conrad Society, he is Advisory Editor of The Conradian.

Michael Foster was a Senior Lecturer (Retired) at St Mary's University, Twickenham, in English and Applied Linguistics. He was Programme Director for English Language and Literature and for the post-graduate course in Applied Linguistics.

Owen Knowles is a Research Fellow in the Department of English at the University of Hull. An ex-editor of The Conradian, he has also published numerous works on Joseph Conrad, including the Oxford Reader's Companion to Conrad (with Gene M. Moore, 2001) and A Conrad Chronology (2014).