First published anonymously in 1929, this book was from the start an underground classic, considered by Hemmingway, Eliot, Pound, T.E.Lawrence, and Arnold Bennett as the ultimate novel of trench warfare, evoking the horror, brutality, futility, nobility, and courage of war.

The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916 (Twentieth Century Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Manning, Frederic

Literary

Penguin Classics

A moving, raw and powerful novel about fighting on the front - 'The finest and noblest book of men in war that I have ever read' (Ernest Hemingway)  Bourne is a private fighting on the front. He is under pressure to accept a commission and become an officer, but he prefers to be among the ranks, drawn into the universal struggle for survival in a world gone mad.   Manning's startling work is unlike any other First World War novel in its portrayal of the lives of ordinary British soldiers: the trauma of the Somme; the moments of bloodlust; the camaraderie, rivalry, alcohol and boredom. Considered obscene for its language and previously published in censored form as Her Privates We, The Middle Parts of Fortune appears here in its raw, unexpurgated version.

The Modern Classics Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme And Ancre 1916 (Penguin Modern Classics)

Classics

Penguin Classic

The Middle Parts of Fortune

"It is the finest and noblest book of men in war that I have ever read. I read it over once each year to remember how things really were so that I will never lie to myself nor to anyone else about them."  —Ernest HemingwayThey can say what they bloody well like, but we're a fuckin' fine mob.Deep in the mud, in the stench of the Somme, Bourne is trying his best to stay alive. There he finds the intense fraternity of war and fear unlike anything he has ever known. Frederick Manning's novel was first published anonymously in 1929. The honesty with which he wrote about the horror, the boredom, and the futility of war is unmatched. This grim, sardonic tale led William Boyd to say "this is the finest novel to come out of the First World War."

Plume

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Scenes And Portraits (1909)

Essays & Correspondence

Kessinger Publishing

The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916

A classic story of men in the trenchesFrederic Manning, the author of this book, which is also known as Her Privates We, was a well regarded Australian writer and poet who settled in the United Kingdom in the early years of the 20th century. He moved in bohemian circles and was frail in health and a heavy smoker despite suffering from asthma. He was nevertheless keen to enlist when war came in 1914 and predictably had some difficulty persuading the Army to accept him. In 1915, however, he managed to enlist in the Shropshire Light Infantry as a private soldier. He failed his officer training course. In 1916 he took part in the battle of the Somme and proved himself an able NCO. Subsequently he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and transferred to the Royal Irish Regiment where he proved to be unsuccessful officer material. His combat experiences, inebriation and poor health had taken their toll and he resigned his commission in 1918. Manning continued writing, producing poetry, novels and non fiction. This book, originally published anonymously, is based on Manning's authentic wartime experiences, but it is a novel. Its principal character, Bourne was named after a small English town where Manning had spent much of his time. The Middle Parts of Fortune is now considered to be one of the few true classic of the literature of war and tells the story, in the starkest terms, of ordinary men enduring the privations and dangers of the Western Front during the Great War. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Leonaur Ltd

A classic story of men in the trenches Frederic Manning, the author of this book, which is also known as Her Privates We, was a well regarded Australian writer and poet who settled in the United Kingdom in the early years of the 20th century. He moved in bohemian circles and was frail in health and a heavy smoker despite suffering from asthma. He was nevertheless keen to enlist when war came in 1914 and predictably had some difficulty persuading the Army to accept him. In 1915, however, he managed to enlist in the Shropshire Light Infantry as a private soldier. He failed his officer training course. In 1916 he took part in the battle of the Somme and proved himself an able NCO. Subsequently he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and transferred to the Royal Irish Regiment where he proved to be unsuccessful officer material. His combat experiences, inebriation and poor health had taken their toll and he resigned his commission in 1918. Manning continued writing, producing poetry, novels and non fiction. This book, originally published anonymously, is based on Manning's authentic wartime experiences, but it is a novel. Its principal character, Bourne was named after a small English town where Manning had spent much of his time. The Middle Parts of Fortune is now considered to be one of the few true classic of the literature of war and tells the story, in the starkest terms, of ordinary men enduring the privations and dangers of the Western Front during the Great War. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

Account by infantryman on Western Front in World War I.

Middle Parts of Fortune (Echoes of War)

Contemporary

Ashford Pr Pub

Scenes and Portraits

History

BiblioLife

Eidola

BiblioBazaar

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Books by Manning, Frederic

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Manning, Frederic. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916 (Twentieth Century Classics)

The Modern Classics Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme And Ancre 1916 (Penguin Modern Classics)

The Middle Parts of Fortune

Scenes And Portraits (1909)

The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916

The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916

Middle Parts of Fortune (Echoes of War)

Scenes and Portraits

Scenes and Portraits

Eidola