Jim (his surname is never disclosed), a young British seaman, becomes first mate on the Patna, a ship full of pilgrims travelling to Mecca for the hajj. Jim joins his captain and other crew members in abandoning the ship and its passengers. A few days later, they are picked up by a British ship. However, the Patna and its passengers are later also saved, and the reprehensible actions of the crew are exposed. The other participants evade the judicial court of inquiry, leaving Jim to the court alone. The court strips him of his navigation command certificate for his dereliction of duty. Jim is angry with himself, both for his moment of weakness, and for missing an opportunity to be a 'hero'.
Lord Jim was first published in serial form in Blackwoodís Magazine in London in 1899 and 1900. It was published as a hardcover novel in 1900, has been made into a movie twice (1925 and 1965) and was named as one of the greatest one hundred English-language novels of the twentieth century by Modern Library.
This book is annotated with a biography about the life and times of Joseph Conrad.
