The Mirror of the Sea »

Most readers know Joseph Conrad for creating Marlow's harrowing journey through the African Congo in Heart of Darkness. Conrad was adept at capturing the physical and cultural experiences he gleaned from 15 years at sea, but he also wrote political thrillers, essays, and plays based on his own short stories. His best works tend to be brief, but pack in a remarkable perspicacity about humanity's deepest faults.

Landfall and Departure mark the rhythmical swing of a seaman's life and of a ship's career.nFrom land to land is the most concise definition of a ship's earthly fate.' (Excerpt)