About this title: First published privately in 1929 as "The Middle Parts of Fortune", "Her Privates We" is the novel of the Battle of the Somme told from the perspective of an ordinary private. This edition now restores all the 'prunings and excisions' that were made to the first edition because the bluntness of language was thought to make the book unfit for public distribution. An undisputed classic of war writing and a lasting tribute to all who participated in the war, "Her Privates We" was originally published as written by 'Private 19022'. Championed by amongst others Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, TS ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Random House (UK), London
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780701207021ISBN:0701207027
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Ex-library. Pages are crisp and clean, but the binding is creased in the back corner and has a little wear around the edges. There are various ex-library marks and a checkout tab. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. This was printed in 1986 by the Hogarth Press, London. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: London: Pan #M 179, 1967, 1st Printing
Description: Uncredited Cover Art. Very Good. ----------paperback, a solid Very Good copy, called by Ernest Hemingway "the finest and noblest book of men in war", any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: THE HOGARTH PRESS LTD
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780701207021ISBN:0701207027
Description: Fair. Back of cover has some wear. Tanning pages. Some underling & highlighting. Free tracking # with every U.S. Order. Daily shipping! ! ! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9781852427177ISBN:1852427175
Description: Fair. 1852427175. Good reading copy-pages lightly tanned, cover has edge/corner wear. First class daily dispatch from Devon.; 0.8 x 7.9 x 5.1 Inches; 288 pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: The Hogarth Press Ltd
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780701207021ISBN:0701207027
Description: Acceptable. MUCH INKED ANNOTATION. MAJOR SIGNS OF WEAR AND TEAR-VERY WELL READ-READING COPY ONLY SECURE DAILY POSTING FROM UK. 30 DAY GUARANTEE. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9781852427177ISBN:1852427175
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Serpents Tail
Date Published: 1999-11-01
ISBN-13:9781852427177ISBN:1852427175
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781852427177. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Peter Davies., London
Date Published: 1970
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. 8vo. 274pp. Or olive cloth in jacket. Slight wear to edges of boards. Jacket price clipped with light rubbing and a couple of tiny tears (1mm or less). The author, an Australian by birth but chiefly educated in England, enlisted in the ranks of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry at the onset of WWI. This voluem originally published in 1930 (with the author as Private 19022) serves as a memorial of the 1914-18 war, and as a profound picture of the ordinary ... read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Paper
Publisher: Berkley, N. Y.
Date Published: 1964
Description: cover Art. Very Good. No Jacket. Vintage Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. WW I------------Cover Price.60 cents----------Number X981-----------The cover has little wear......The pages has light yellowing.. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Peter Davies, London
Date Published: 1930
Description: Octavo. Original natural linen, pictorial decoration and titles to upper board and titles to spine in black. Some trivial spotting but an excellent copy. Not issued in printed dust jacket. First Trade Edition, First Impression. Originally published as The Middle Parts of Fortune Davies published this somewhat expurgated version which met with great popular success. read more
Description: Good. Minimal damage to cover and binding. Pages show light use. With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, Best Prices. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Medallion
Date Published: 1958
Description: Good. Normal cosmetic wear, Edges and spine rubbed, Bookstore stamp, Bright covers, Book On Hand ** OLD RANCH BOOKS: A Family Bookstore Online Since '99 ** read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Books, New York
Date Published: 1964
Description: Very Good. Softcover, edition not stated (presumed first printing), one inch thin abrasion to top edge of front cover and first forty pages, light tanning to spine, light browning to pages, otherwise a VG+ copy. read more
"Hemingway stated that this book was, "The finest and noblest book of men in war" - although I have never been too enthusiastic about Hemingway, this really is a great piece of text. There is a lot of waiting around and little action."
"I think this is just below All Quiet on the Western Front as my favorite WWI book. Not as epic as AQWF and the prose isn't as good, but it's a very poignant snapshot of a year in the life of a WWI private. I love Bourne (the protagonist) and I thought the ending was a bit predictable, but I couldn't see it ending any other way without it being hundreds of pages longer.
"Reading fictional accounts of war and violence, I have often come across the sentiment that soldiers will spend most of their time waiting for a combat situation that lasts minutes, if not seconds. Frederic Manning's semi-fictional - the place and event are fact; the characters, fiction - account of British soldiers moving from one front to another during the early stages of World War I confirms this observation. The majority of the book is about the men who fought in World War I and what their experiences were like. Manning writes about meals and parade and the busy-work that officers devise to keep soldiers occupied between marching and fighting. The structure of the story is almost non-linear: Manning will focus on a march through the countryside for a few pages, then devote three times that amount to a conversation over the tea and rum ration, and then he will shuffle through numerous events on a single page.
This desultory movement only reinforced the sense of waiting for a huge and dreadful event. The combat that soldiers saw in World War I was horrible - whether or not you compare it to that seen in other wars - and the prospect of further action, while confirming their commitment to defending the country against "the Huns" and fulfilling one's patriotic duty, nevertheless placed a toll on a man's psyche.
It is obvious that Manning saw this war with his own eyes and heard voices and conversations like those he describes. The fact that he chose to tell of what he saw through fictional characters is interesting, and I wonder if he decided to do so through a sense of propriety; so many men died in World War I, and Manning may have decided to respect their true names and actions while honoring them by proxy. Regardless, Manning translates his memories into prose that acts upon all senses. I heard the men in their tents; I felt their anxiety under fire; I smelled the countryside; and I could feel the pull of mud underfoot during an attack across No Man's Land. To read this was to experience a time and place not my own."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
