Skip to content

Three Soldiers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers Paperback - 1997

by John Dos Passos; Townsend Ludington (Editor)

A searing novel exposing the fate of the common soldier during World War I. Driven by the idealism that infected many young Americans at the time (including Ernest Hemingway), author John Dos Passos joined the Ambulance Corps. His rapid and profound disillusionment forms the core of this fierce denouncement of the military and of the far-reaching social implications of its exploitation of young men.


Summary

Part of the generation that produced Ernest Hemingway and Ford Madox Ford, John Dos Passos wrote one of the most grimly honest portraits of World War I. Three Soldiers portrays the lives of a trio of army privates: Fuselli, an Italian American store clerk from San Francisco; Chrisfield, a farm boy from Indiana; and Andrews, a musically gifted Harvard graduate from New York. Hailed as a masterpiece on its original publication in 1921, Three Soldiers is a gripping exploration of fear and ambition, conformity and rebellion, desertion and violence, and the brutal and dehumanizing effects of a regimented war machine on ordinary soldiers.

From the publisher

John Dos Passos (1896–1970) was born in Chicago and graduated from Harvard in 1916. His service as an ambulance driver in Europe at the end of World War I led him to write Three Soldiers in 1919. A prolific travel writer, biographer, playwright, and novelist, he is an American classic of the twentieth century.

From the rear cover

John Dos Passos had just returned from studying architecture in Spain when America entered World War I and - driven by the idealism that infected many young Americans (including Hemingway and e.e. cummings) - he joined up as a driver for the Ambulance Corps. His rapid and profound disillusionment forms the core of Three Soldiers, a fierce denunciation of the military and of the far-reaching social implications of its exploitation of young men. The novel focuses on three main characters: Andrews, a young composer who finally revolts against the war's deadening regimentation; Chrisfield, an Indiana farm boy who chants the words "make the world safe for democracy" to himself in a futile attempt to block out the noises and terrors of battle; and Fuselli, a clerk who clings to the dream of becoming a corporal despite the mockery of his fellow soldiers. Required to renounce their individuality and to conform with unquestioning obedience, each one, in different ways, is ineradicably scarred by the dehumanizing effects of war.

Details

  • Title Three Soldiers
  • Author John Dos Passos; Townsend Ludington (Editor)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Publishing Group, London
  • Date 1997-12-01
  • ISBN 9780141180274 / 0141180277
  • Weight 0.7 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 in (19.56 x 12.70 x 2.29 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1900-1949
  • Library of Congress subjects War stories, Soldiers
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97018911
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 11/01/2013, Page 54

About the author

John Dos Passos (1896-1970) was born in Chicago and graduated from Harvard in 1916. His service as an ambulance driver in Europe at the end of World War I led him to write Three Soldiers in 1919. A prolific travel writer, biographer, playwright, and novelist, he is an American classic of the twentieth century.

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.

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by John Dos Passos

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Morrinsville, New Zealand
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$4.58
A$53.38 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, UK, 1997. Paperback. Book Condition: Good. Ex library with laminated covers. Very clean interior..
Item Price
A$4.58
A$53.38 shipping to USA
Three Soldiers

Three Soldiers

by John Dos Passos

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.26
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$9.26
FREE shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by Dos Passos, John; Ludington, Townsend [Editor]

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
777
Seller
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$13.73
A$6.09 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 1997-12-01. Paperback. New.
Item Price
A$13.73
A$6.09 shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by Dos Passos, John; Ludington, Townsend [Editor]

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
777
Seller
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$18.30
A$6.09 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, 1997-12-01. Paperback. Like New.
Item Price
A$18.30
A$6.09 shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

by John Dos Passos

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Wichita, Kansas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$19.83
A$6.09 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Classics, December 1997. Paper Back. New.
Item Price
A$19.83
A$6.09 shipping to USA
3 SOLDIERS
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

3 SOLDIERS

by DOSPASSOS,J

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
1
Seller
NEW YORK, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$19.83
A$6.85 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
pb. New. Brand New. Ships from an indie bookstore in NYC.
Item Price
A$19.83
A$6.85 shipping to USA
Three Soldiers
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers

by Dos Passos, John

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
46
Seller
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$32.03
A$22.86 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
PENGUIN GROUP. New. Special order direct from the distributor
Item Price
A$32.03
A$22.86 shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)

by Dos Passos, John

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$35.92
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedVeryGood. signs of little wear on the cover.
Item Price
A$35.92
FREE shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)

by Dos Passos, John

  • Used
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$36.28
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedLikeNew. Remainder mark
Item Price
A$36.28
FREE shipping to USA
Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Three Soldiers (Penguin Classics)

by Dos Passos, John

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780141180274 / 0141180277
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$36.65
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New. .
Item Price
A$36.65
FREE shipping to USA