The Middle Parts of Fortune

First published in 1929, this novel follows Private Bourne, an educated man serving in the ranks of a British battalion on the Somme in 1916. The action stays with billets, working parties, rum, and the assault on a German trench, seen from the other ranks rather than from headquarters. Officers, non-commissioned officers, and men appear as they drink, swear, and try to stay alive. The book was also issued in an expurgated form under another title. It is a war novel of infantry experience, not a general history of the battle.

Bound in grey paper printed and blocked in black and silver with a wrap-around picture. Speckled grey endpapers. Black slipcase.