Ashley MS 2946

'The Secret Agent': an adaptation for the stage by Joseph Conrad of his novel The Secret Agent, 1907; 1919-1920. Typescript, with many autograph revisions and corrections, written on one side only of 172 quarto leaves of white laid paper, and on both sides of two more of the same (ff. 2, 90). Watermarks '1169 / UNDERWRITER / BOND / monogram RB' (ff. 1, 18, 19, 21, 26-93), 'EXCELSIOR / SUPERFINE / BRITISH MAKE' (ff. 2-17, 20, 22-25), and a ram's head above 'ORIGINAL / CHARTHAM MILLS / KENT' (ff. 94-174). The typescript has been revised by Conrad in brown crayon, pencil, and ink, apparently in that order, on ff. 2 and 3. Thereafter, on the whole, the first deletions are made in red or blue crayon, depending on the colour of the typescript, and the later deletions, additions and substitutions in ink, though this system is not adhered to rigidly. There are pencil revisions on ff. 96-98. Conrad has numbered ff. 2-90 as 1-89, in brown, or red, or blue crayon. He has numbered f. 90b, on which he has written the greater part of the stage directions at the end of Act II by hand in ink, 90 in ink and brown crayon. Thereafter ff. 91-133 are numbered 91-133 in brown or red crayon. Conrad has not numbered f. 134 which only bears a supplementary note to the stage directions at the end of Act IV, scene III. He has numbered ff. 135-174, in brown crayon, 134-173. On f. 1 is the typewritten title 'The Secret Agent / Four Acts. / Action in London. Time, not very distant Past'. Conrad has added 'Drama in' before 'Four Acts' and 'by Joseph Conrad' in ink. At the head of the page he has written 'First draft - A -' in red crayon, and 'Title' in brown. At the foot of the page he has written in ink, and subsequently deleted in brown crayon 'Act I. The Private Life / Act II The Underworld / A III The Upper World / IV The Issue'. At the head of f. 2 Conrad has written 'Oct: 1st 1919', 'Act I', 'Spring Grove' and 'First Draft Joseph Conrad 1919-20' in ink, and 'First Draft' in brown crayon. On f. 2b inverted is the typewritten title and the beginning of the list of Acts and scenes, deleted in brown crayon. At the foot of f. 3 Conrad has drawn in pencil a plan of the scene for Act I. On f. 28 is written 'Act One B' in red crayon. At the foot of f. 53 Conrad has added his signature and the note 'End Act One J.C.' in ink. At the head of f. 54 he has added 'Oswalds. B'bourne. Act. II Joseph Conrad. / First Draft J.C.' in ink. On f. 69 'Act 2. Scene 2.' is written in ink by Conrad. He has later added his initials 'J.C.'. On f. 90b Conrad has written in ink the greater part of the stage directions at the end of Act II, together with the note 'End Act II Joseph Conrad'. At the head of f. 91 he has added in ink 'First Draft J.C. Act III B'bourne / Joseph Conrad'. All of the text on ff. 103 and 104 has been cancelled, and the cancellations initialled by Conrad. The cancelled text would have extended the conversation between the Assistant Commissioner and Lady Mabel at the point of the Assistant Commissioner's speech found at the foot of p. 41 of the edition of 1921. The text on ff. 105-113 (equivalent to 1921 edition, pp. 42-43) has been greatly shortened and revised. On f. 117 Conrad has added in ink 'End of Act III Joseph Conrad'. At the head of f. 118 Conrad has added 'The Secret Agent / A domestic drama' in ink, and subsequently deleted it. Underneath he has written 'The Secret Agent / - four Acts / IV J. C.', also in ink, and he has signed the page 'Joseph Conrad', again in ink, over the words 'First Draft J.C.' written in brown crayon. On f. 125, at the beginning of Act IV, scene 2, Conrad has added 'The Secret Agent' in ink. On f. 134 is a typewritten note additional to the stage directions at the end of Act IV, scene 2, which is not found in either of the printed editions. On f. 135, at the beginning of Act IV, scene 3, Conrad has added in ink 'The Secret Agent'. At the foot of f. 174 Conrad has added his signature, and the note 'Finished 15 Mch. 1920. J.C.'.

Bound up with the typescript are the following items:―

a. Two letters from Joseph Conrad to T. J. Wise offering the typescript to Wise for £150, and subsequently thanking him for his cheque, explaining that it is the 'First Draft', and making clear the distinction between 'First Draft', the 'First Copy' and the 'Clean Copies'; 26, 28 March 1920. ff. ii, iib, iv, ivb.

b. Cheque made out by T. J. Wise to Joseph Conrad for £150; 27 March 1920. f. iii.

c. Note in the hand of Conrad, and signed by him, certifying at some length that the typescript is 'the very first draft', and stating that his 'work on First Draft and on First Copy was finished in April 1920'; [April?] 1920. f. v.

In the typescript the play is arranged in four acts, as it is in The Secret Agent, 1921, printed for the author. In The Secret Agent, 1923, privately printed for subscribers only, however, the play is in three acts, the former Act III having become Act II, scene 3. The final text found in the typescript differs in many, but minor, respects from that printed in The Secret Agent, 1921. Ashley Library Catalogue, i, p. 257.

Large quarto; ff. vi+174.

Joseph Conrad, alias Teodor Jósef Konrad Korzeniowski, novelist: Drama ENGLISH: Play, 'The Secret Agent', adapted from the novel (1907) by Joseph Conrad: 1919-1920: Typescript with autogr. revisions and corrections. Signed.

includes:

• f. iii Joseph Conrad, alias Teodor Jósef Konrad Korzeniowski, novelist: Thomas James Wise, book collector: Cheque for £150 to Joseph Conrad from Thomas James Wise: 1920.
• f. v Joseph Conrad, alias Teodor Jósef Konrad Korzeniowski, novelist: Drama ENGLISH: Note rel. to stage adaptation of 'The Secret Agent' by Joseph Conrad: 1920: Autogr. Signed.
• ff. ii, iib, iv, ivb Joseph Conrad, alias Teodor Jósef Konrad Korzeniowski, novelist: Drama ENGLISH: Thomas James Wise, book collector: Letters rel. to stage adaptation of 'The Secret Agent' to Thomas James Wise from Joseph Conrad: 1920.
• ff. ii-ivb Prices of MSS: Stage adaptation of 'The Secret Agent' by J. Conrad, £150: 1920.