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The Good Soldier
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Good Soldier Paperback - 2014

by Marciano Guerrero (Editor); Ford Madox Ford


About this book

The Good Solider: A Tale of Passion by Ford Madox Hueffer (later, Ford Madox Ford) is set just before World War I. The “good solider” of the title is Captain Edward Ashburnman, a retired Indian army veteran, who — along with his wife Leonora — from relationships with two Americans, John and Florence Dowell. The novel follows the unraveling of Ashburman’s and Dowell’s marriages through a series of flashbacks and deals with issues, such as adultery, betrayal, and moral confusion, which often go unmentioned in polite society.

The Good Soldier was originally titled The Saddest Story, a reference to the first line: “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” However, with the onset of the war, the publisher requested a title revision. Ford sarcastically suggested The Good Soldier, as he himself had already enlisted in the war, and the name stuck. Ford left to serve in World War I as an infantry solider later on in 1915, the same year the book was published. The Good Solider is ranked 30th on Modern Library’s list of “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

First Edition Identification

John Lane of the Bodley Head first published The Good Soldier in the UK in 1915. The first edition is bound in brick red cloth and has the same date listed on the title page as the copyright page.

Details

  • Title The Good Soldier
  • Author Marciano Guerrero (Editor); Ford Madox Ford
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 276
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Date 2014-10
  • ISBN 9781502866660 / 1502866668
  • Weight 0.61 lbs (0.28 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.99 x 5 x 0.58 in (20.29 x 12.70 x 1.47 cm)
  • Reading level 1040