The Secret Agent

One of "the three works of literature most cited in the American media" around the two weeks following 9/11. 

“I am afraid that if you want to go down into history you'll have to do something for it.” 
― Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent 

Few people realize that Joseph Conrad invented the terrorist-spy genre in 1907 with his novella The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale. 'The Secret Agent' was one of "the three works of literature most cited in the American media" around the two weeks following September 11, 2001.” ( From “Conrad in the Twentieth Century: Contemporary Approaches and Perspectives, Abingdon, Oxford.”). 

The story is set in London in 1886 and deals largely with the life of Mr. Verloc and his job as a spy. The Secret Agent is notable as one of Conrad's later political novels, which move away from his typical tales of seafaring. The novel deals broadly with the notions of anarchism, espionage, and terrorism and depicts the type of anarchist and revolutionary groups which sprouted up before many of the social uprisings of the early twentieth century. 

Recently, The Secret Agent was ranked the 46th best novel of the 20th century by Modern Library. 

“One of Conrad's supreme masterpieces. . . .one of the unquestioned classics of the first order that he added to the English novel.” 
- F. R. Leavis 

*Special low-price. 
*Includes image gallery. 
*Includes link to free unabridged audio recording of 'The Secret Agent.'