Some Do Not…, the first volume of Parade's End, introduces the central characters: Christopher Tietjens, a brilliant mathematician; his dazzling, unfaithful wife Sylvia; and the young Suffragette Valentine Wannop. It starts with the cataclysmic weekend that throws Tietjens and Valentine together. It ends in 1917 as the two are on the verge of becoming lovers, before Tietjens prepares to return to the Front and probable death. Some Do Not… is an unforgettable exploration of the tensions of a society facing catastrophe, as the energies of sexuality and power erupt into violence. Some Do Not… includes: the first reliable text, based on the manuscript and first editions; a major critical introduction by Max Saunders, Ford's acclaimed biographer; an account of the novel's composition and reception; a reconstruction of Ford's dramatic original ending, published complete for the first time; annotations explaining historical references, military terms, literary and topical allusions; a full textual apparatus including transcriptions of significant deletions and revisions; a bibliography of further reading.
