Conrad's Reading

Helen Chambers is an Honorary Associate in English at The Open University, UK. As well as specialist medical qualifications she has a recent (2014) PhD in Literature and has published on Conrad and Ford Madox Ford. Based in France, she is a member of the History of the Book and Reading Research Collaboration (HOBAR) at the Open University and an active contributor and editor for the Reading Experience Database (UKRED).

“With Conrad’s Reading: Space, Time, Networks, Helen Chambers makes a very valuable contribution to this field. … Chambers paints an interesting, rich, and variegated picture of Conrad’s reading. … Richly researched, Conrad’s Reading will not only be of interest to Conrad scholars.” (Wim Van Mierlo, Library & Information History, Vol. 35 (1), 2019)

• 1. ​Introduction.- 2. ‘Books are an integral part of one’s life: evaluating the evidence of Conrad's reading.- 3. 'Read by chance on the Indian Ocean’: reconstructing Conrad’s maritime reading.- 4. ‘A book, not bemused by the cleverness of the day’: Marlow as a reader .- 5. ‘A Conrad archipelago replete with islands’: Edwardian reading communities.- 6. ‘Gifted with tenderness and intelligence’: Conrad’s reading women.- 7. Conclusion.