The Good Soldier

First published in 1915, this novel is narrated by John Dowell, an American who reconstructs the years in which he and his wife Florence shared a German spa with Edward Ashburnham, an English officer, and Edward's wife Leonora. What first appears as a settled friendship of two quiet couples is retold as a history of concealed affairs, illness used as a tool, and the gap between Edward's public honour and private conduct. Dowell's memory is incomplete and self-excusing. The book is a study of marriage and unreliable testimony, not a war novel and not a detective plot.

Bound in grey cloth, cover blocked in black and gold with a design by Bannister. Grey endleaves. Black slipcase.