12 h 9 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 9 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your first great love draws you into a cause you barely understand?
In Marseilles in the 1870s, young Monsieur George longs for experience, love and something worth serving. Mr Mills introduces him to Doña Rita, a wealthy woman whose presence draws admiration and gossip. As George falls under her spell, he enters a circle where private feeling and political loyalty are hard to separate.
Rita supports the Carlist cause, which needs money, arms and passage by sea. George becomes involved in its work as his love deepens. In Joseph Conrad's The Arrow of Gold, the older George recalls this youth with tenderness and doubt, asking how much his younger self can truly see through the dazzle of first love.
What you’ll discover
- First love under pressure Follow George's intense devotion as desire draws him closer to political risks.
- A woman beyond gossip Meet Doña Rita, whose wealth and guarded inner life resist the judgments surrounding her.
- A port of secret loyalties Enter a Marseilles of sailors, exiles and schemers, where introductions open uncertain doors.
- The sea behind the intrigue Sail alongside George and the skilled Dominic Cervoni as the cause demands practical risks.
- Memory touched by doubt Hear an older man revisit youthful certainty with fondness and a more questioning eye.
Who will love it
For readers who love Conrad's layered, reflective storytelling, first love and political intrigue, and tales of secret loyalties in a city of exiles, schemers and sailors.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A young man arrives in Marseilles
- Mills opens the door to Doña Rita
- Rita and the weight of her past
- George is drawn into the Carlist cause
- Love, illusion and the cost of youth
- A memory told with doubt
Who’s who
- Monsieur GeorgeA very young man in Marseilles who tells the story years later, eager for experience, love and a cause worth serving.
- Doña RitaA woman of striking presence and independent wealth, admired and gossiped about, who supports the Carlist cause and guards her inner life.
- Mr MillsAn older American in the Carlist circle who guides George and introduces him to Rita, observing more than he says.
- Captain BluntA reserved Carlist officer, close and protective toward Rita, whom George finds hard to read as either friend or rival.
- Dominic CervoniA Corsican sailor of great skill and calm, who sails with George and shares the risks of the sea.
- Henry AllègreAn older, wealthy artist whose influence on Rita's past and fortune is still felt in the city.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 12 h 9 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Arrow of Gold in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Arrow of Gold
by Joseph Conrad · 1919
In Marseilles, young George falls for Doña Rita as love and loyalty draw him into a secret political cause.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Arrow of Gold is a novel by Joseph Conrad, published in 1919, near the end of his life. It looks back to Marseilles in the 1870s, when a very young man is pulled into a world of money, secret loyalties and a woman who seems to hold the whole city's attention.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A young man arrives in Marseilles
The story opens with George as an older man, remembering the time when he was barely out of boyhood. Marseilles in the 1870s is a busy port full of ship owners, adventurers and political exiles. George is young, curious and eager for experience, and he moves through the city with the confidence of someone who has not yet been tested.
He is drawn to the harbour and to the people who live by the sea. Among them is Dominic Cervoni, a Corsican sailor who becomes a trusted companion. Dominic is a figure Conrad's readers may know from his other writing, a man of the sea who is calm in danger and loyal to those he respects.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Arrow of Gold
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Arrow of Gold about?
It tells of a young man in 1870s Marseilles who falls in love with Doña Rita while being drawn into the Carlist cause, a secret effort to supply a Spanish pretender with money and arms.
Who is Doña Rita in The Arrow of Gold?
She is the woman at the centre of the novel, a rich, admired and much discussed figure in Marseilles who supports the Carlist cause. George falls in love with her.
When was The Arrow of Gold written?
Conrad published it in 1919, near the end of his life. It looks back to Marseilles in the 1870s, and it draws on his own youth in that port.
The author
Joseph Conrad
1857–1924 · Polish-British novelist
Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) was a Polish-British writer born in Berdychiv, then in the Russian Empire and now in Ukraine. He worked at sea before settling in England. He wrote in English. His works include Heart of Darkness (1899), Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904), and The Secret Agent (1907).
More by Joseph Conrad
All 22 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
