The Things They Carried
Published on 4. April 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-00-832969-3 (ISBN)
Description
The million copy bestseller that redefined the way the world saw war.
One of the ten books - novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography - that make up our Matchbook Classics' series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.
The Things They Carried is the definitive account of what it was like being on the ground in Vietnam. But while that devastating conflict is central to the book, it is not simply about war. It is a book about memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. It is also about the human heart - about the terrible weight of those things we carry through our lives.
The men of Alpha Company - Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins and Kiowa - slog through the emptiness and dangers of their Vietnam tour in this haunting and acclaimed collection, which has the cumulative power and unity of a novel.
One of the ten books - novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography - that make up our Matchbook Classics' series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.
The Things They Carried is the definitive account of what it was like being on the ground in Vietnam. But while that devastating conflict is central to the book, it is not simply about war. It is a book about memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. It is also about the human heart - about the terrible weight of those things we carry through our lives.
The men of Alpha Company - Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins and Kiowa - slog through the emptiness and dangers of their Vietnam tour in this haunting and acclaimed collection, which has the cumulative power and unity of a novel.
Reviews / Votes
'One of the best war books of this century, an unflinching attempt to illuminate both its obscene physical brutality and the terrible mental overload' Guardian'A thrilling and beautiful distillation of everything that has been thought, felt, or said about the Vietnam War and its long afterburn. A heartbreaking and healing masterpiece; time will make it a classic' Michael Herr, author of Dispatches
'Essential ... O'Brien captures the war's pulsating rhythms and nerve-racking dangers ... a stunning performance. The overall effect of these original tales is devastating' New York Times
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
280 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-832969-3 (9780008329693)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Person
Tim O'Brien was born in Minnesota and served as a foot soldier in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, and after graduate studies at Harvard worked as a reporter for the Washington Post. When 'If I Die in a Combat Zone' was published in 1973, it established him as one of the leading American writers of his generation, a status that was confirmed when 'Going After Cacciato' won the National Book Award for fiction.