A smuggler's bible vs The nigger of the "Narcissus": Which Should You Read?

Cover of A smuggler's bible A smuggler's bible Joseph McElroy · 1966 ★★★★☆ 4.0 435 pages · ≈ 8 h 03 m · Moderate
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A Smugglers Bible is Joseph McElroys first novel. David Brooke—who talks of himself in a split-personality manner—narrates a framing tale that consists of him "smuggling" his essence into eight autobiographical…

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Cover of The nigger of the "Narcissus" The nigger of the "Narcissus" Joseph Conrad · 1897 ★★★★☆ 3.7 173 pages · ≈ 3 h 12 m · Challenging
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“My task... is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That - and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there, according to your…

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Side by side

A smuggler's bibleThe nigger of the "Narcissus"EnjoymentDifficultyInfluencePopularityClassic

The verdict

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How to choose

Scores by source

A smuggler's bibleThe nigger of the "Narcissus"
Goodreads 4.0 (287) 3.7 (2676)
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Reception

A smuggler's bibleThe nigger of the "Narcissus"
Ratings 287 2676
Editions 7 93
Citations 1 —
Film adaptations 1 1
Want to read 1838 2187
Reading it now 8 177
Written reviews 49 251
Wikipedia attention 167 3481
Pages 435 173
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: A smuggler's bible or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?

A smuggler's bible has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A smuggler's bible 4.0/5, The nigger of the "Narcissus" 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: A smuggler's bible or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?

The nigger of the "Narcissus" is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The nigger of the "Narcissus" (173 pages, ≈ 3 h 12 m); A smuggler's bible (435 pages, ≈ 8 h 03 m).

Which is harder to read: A smuggler's bible or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A smuggler's bible: Moderate; The nigger of the "Narcissus": Challenging.

Shared themes