G. K. Chesterton
The cult metaphysical thriller that has baffled and delighted readers for over a century - now with the ending explained.Gabriel Syme is a poet, a philosopher, and a newly sworn undercover detective. His assignment: infiltrate the Central Anarchist Council, whose seven members are known only by the days of the week. Elected 'Thursday,' Syme takes his seat at a table of bomb-throwers presided over by the vast, terrifying figure of Sunday - and quickly discovers that nothing on the council, or in the chase across Edwardian London and France that follows, is remotely what it seems.First published in 1908, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare is G. K. Chesterton’s dazzling, funny, and profoundly strange masterpiece - part spy thriller, part chase caper, part theological riddle. It has been claimed as an influence by writers from Borges to Kingsley Amis and adapted for stage and radio, all while keeping its central mystery gloriously open to debate.This Annotated Edition includes:• The complete 1908 novel, all fifteen chapters plus Chesterton’s dedicatory poem, freshly typeset• An original introduction on Chesterton, the book’s genesis, and why it still unsettles• Notes on the Text decoding the Edwardian London, the philosophy, and the biblical allusions• A Reader’s Guide with discussion questions for book clubs and solo readers• A spoiler-walled Afterword on the ending - the questions readers have argued over for a century, kept safely behind a warning so first-time readers can meet the nightmare unspoiledTake your seat on the council. Just remember: in this story, you can never be quite sure who is on your side.
