THE BLESSED TRADE. by Ward, Marjorie - 1971

London: Michael Joseph, 1971. 300 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H). B&w drawings, map endpapers. "(T)he story of the British soldier in the age of fighting as a profession, from Anglo-Saxon times to the French Revolution. It is not the history of campaigns and regiments but of the men who went to war: their story told in their own words. (A)n enthralling collection of original narratives written by men like the poet at the Battle of Maldon in 991, the chroniclers of the Crusades, the splendid Corporal Todd - and by Kit Ross, surely the most remarkable woman ever to have worn the King's Coat. The story these people tell is a harsh one: marching, deserting, punishment, hunger, looting and just enduring the squalor and danger of campaigning. There are, though, glorious moments, when the horrors of war are redeemed by fortitude and self-sacrifice, and by what has been the chief mark of the 'Tommy' for a thousand years: a wry and tough sense of humour." Previous owners bookplate on verso of free front endpaper. Dust jacket is price-clipped, has very light edge wrinkling and rubbing. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good.