The Ridge and the River

by T. A. G. Hungerford

(Australian Classics)

Angus & Robertson, 1979, ISBN 0207138370, hardcover, dustjacket

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, dustjacket shows minor edge and shelf wear with a little rubbing and chipping to edges and corners (see photographs)

“The Ridge and the River is a vigorous, straightforward story of an Australian commando patrol, a handful of men threading their way through the jungle for a few memorable days that span a lifetime of violence, terror, hope and despair.  It is one of the first Australian novels to take the war in the Island for its setting.  The power and fascination of this book spring from its essential reality.  The green world of the jungle closes in on the reader, its smells and sights and sounds, its lurking enemies.  The men are real, varied in their personalities yet bound in a fellowship of danger and discomfort.  Yet with all its realism the novel is never depressing; it is too rich in humour, in warmth without sentiment, and in heroism without heroics.  It is a faithful depiction not merely of a particular campaign but of the human spirit.”