Skip to content

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) Paperback - 2004

by Graham Greene; Introduction by James Wood


Summary

Wilson sat on the balcony of the Bedford Hotel with his bald pink knees thrust against the ironwork..."

 

Graham Greene's masterpiece The Heart of the Matter tells the story of a good man enmeshed in love, intrigue, and evil in a West African coastal town. Scobie is bound by strict integrity to his role as assistant police commissioner and by severe responsibility to his wife, Louise, for whom he cares with a fatal pity.

 

When Scobie falls in love with the young widow Helen, he finds vital passion again yielding to pity, integrity giving way to deceit and dishonor—a vortex leading directly to murder. As Scobie's world crumbles, his personal crisis makes for a novel that is suspenseful, fascinating, and, finally, tragic.

 

Originally published in 1948, The Heart of the Matter is the unforgettable portrait of one man, flawed yet heroic, destroyed and redeemed by a terrible conflict of passion and faith. This Penguin Deluxe Edition features an introduction by James Wood.


From the publisher

"Wilson sat on the balcony of the Bedford Hotel with his bald pink knees thrust against the ironwork..." Graham Greene's masterpiece, The Heart of the Matter, tells the story of a good man enmeshed in love, intrigue, and evil in a West African coastal town. Scobie is bound by strict integrity to his role as assistant police commissioner and by severe responsibility to his wife, Louise, for whom he cares with a fatal pity. When Scobie falls in love with the young widow Helen, he finds vital passion again yielding to pity, integrity giving way to deceit and dishonor--a vortex leading directly to murder. As Scobie's world crumbles, his personal crisis develops the foundation of a story by turns suspenseful, fascinating, and, finally, tragic. Originally published in 1948, The Heart of the Matter is the unforgettable portrait of one man--flawed yet heroic, destroyed and redeemed by a terrible conflict of passion and faith. This Penguin Deluxe Edition features an introduction by James Wood.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Details

  • Title The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
  • Author Graham Greene; Introduction by James Wood
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, New York
  • Date 2004-09-28
  • ISBN 9780142437995 / 0142437999
  • Weight 0.71 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.72 x 0.78 in (21.08 x 14.53 x 1.98 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Religious Orientation: Christian
  • Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, Married people
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2004275122
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 10/15/2004, Page 99

About the author

Graham Greene (1904-1991), whose long life nearly spanned the length of the twentieth century, was one of its greatest novelists. Educated at Berkhamsted School and Balliol College, Oxford, he started his career as a sub-editor of The Times of London. He began to attract notice as a novelist with his fourth book, Orient Express, in 1932. In 1935, he trekked across northern Liberia, his first experience in Africa, recounted in A Journey Without Maps (1936). He converted to Catholicism in 1926, an edifying decision, and reported on religious persecution in Mexico in 1938 in The Lawless Roads, which served as a background for his famous The Power and the Glory, one of several "Catholic" novels (Brighton Rock, The Heart of the Matter, The End of the Affair). During the war he worked for the British secret service in Sierra Leone; afterward, he began wide-ranging travels as a journalist, which were reflected in novels such as The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana, The Comedians, Travels with My Aunt, The Honorary Consul, The Human Factor, Monsignor Quixote, and The Captain and the Enemy. In addition to his many novels, Graham Greene wrote several collections of short stories, four travel books, six plays, two books of autobiography--A Sort of Life and Ways of Escape--two biographies, and four books for children. He also contributed hundreds of essays and film and book reviews to The Spectator and other journals, many of which appear in the late collection Reflections. Most of his novels have been filmed, including The Third Man, which the author first wrote as a film treatment. Graham Greene was named Companion of Honour and received the Order of Merit among numerous other awards. James Wood is a staff writer at The New Yorker, a visiting lecturer at Harvard, and the author of the national bestseller How Fiction Works and the novel The Book Against God. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham; Wood, James [Introduction]

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Houston, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.83
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2004-09-28. Paperback. Good. 5x0x8.
Item Price
NZ$8.83
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.47
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
NZ$10.47
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham, Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
5
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham, Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham, Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham, Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
11
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Heart of the Matter : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham, Greene, Graham

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$11.34
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2004. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2004. Paperback. Acceptable. Disclaimer:A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA
The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

The Heart of the Matter: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Greene, Graham

  • Used
  • as new
  • Paperback
Condition
As New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780142437995 / 0142437999
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 2004. Paperback. As New. Disclaimer:An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$11.98
FREE shipping to USA