This vintage book contains three short stories written by Joseph Conrad. These stories do not share the same narrative, but do share a theme: the stages of life. 'Youth' focuses on a young man's first sea-voyage to the East; 'Heart of Darkness' concerns a particularly unenlightened maturity; and 'The end of the Tether' deals with the old age of an ex-military man. Conrad's masterful writing has influenced many important twentieth-century writers and artists, including T. S. Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges, and Werner Herzog. This text is highly recommended for fans of Conrad's seminal work, and it would make for a worthy addition to any collection. This antiquarian volume is being republished now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a specially commissioned biography of the author.