Her Privates We

First published privately in 1929 as “The Middle Parts of Fortune”, “Her Privates We” is the novel of the Battle of the Somme told from the perspective of an ordinary private. This edition now restores all the prunings and excisions that were made to the first edition because the bluntness of language was thought to make the book unfit for public distribution. An undisputed classic of war writing and a lasting tribute to all who participated in the war, “Her Privates We” was originally published as written by Private 19022. Championed by amongst others Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, TS Eliot and TE Lawrence, it has become recognised as a classic in the seventy years since its first publication. Now republished, with an introduction by William Boyd, it will again amaze a new generation of readers.