With an introduction by Robert Hampson Almayer's Folly was Conrad's outstanding debut novel: as well as exploring the culture of a part of the world previously unknown to English fiction, it showed immense sophistication in its handling of narrative, time-shifts and point of view. Hailed as 'a writer of genius' by contemporary reviewers, Conrad returned to the same riverine settlement in Borneo in his second novel. 'An Outcast of the Islands'. Set some 15 years earlier, this prequel to 'Almayer's Folly' tells how Lingard lost his monopoly of trade in Sambir, and follows the dangerous rivalry of his protegés Willems and Almayer. In 'The Rescue', the narrative moves even further back in time and shows the young, idealistic Lingard torn between his loyalties to his Sulawesi allies and his unexpected attraction to Edith Travers, with explosive consequences. Throughout this sequence of novels, the fascinating figure of Captain Lingard comes steadily into the foreground. Wordsworth Classics makes the Lingard Trilogy available, for the first time, in a single volume. AUTHOR: Born Jozef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski in Poland in 1857, Conrad served in the British Merchant Service (1878-94), travelling to Africa, Australia, India, Indonesia and the Orient, becoming a British citizen in 1886. Turning to full-time writing in 1894, his years at sea featured heavily in his early works. His novels, such as 'Lord Jim', and his novella 'Heart of Darkness' (on which the film 'Apocalypse Now' was based) have brought him an enduring reputation.