The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

One family. Two nations. Four horsemen riding toward the end of the world.

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez's masterpiece is a sprawling, passionate novel about the First World War—a story of two families, one French and one German, bound by blood but torn apart by nationalism, forced to fight on opposite sides of the catastrophe that would consume Europe.

The story begins in Argentina, where the aging landowner Julio Madariaga—known as "the Centaur"—has built a cattle empire on the pampas. His two daughters marry a Frenchman, Marcelo Desnoyers, and a German, Karl Hartrott. When Madariaga dies, both families return to Europe. The Desnoyers settle in Paris, where they live in luxury and decadence. The Hartrotts ingratiate themselves with the German nobility, embracing Prussian militarism with fervor. Then war comes. The cousins become enemies. The families are torn apart.

At the center of the novel is Julio Desnoyers, Marcelo's son—a spoiled, handsome young man who lives for the tango, for women, and for the pleasures of Paris. He is having an affair with Marguerite Laurier, the wife of his father's friend. When war breaks out, Julio resists joining the fight. But when Marguerite leaves him to nurse her wounded husband, Julio enlists, throws himself into battle with reckless abandon, and is killed at the front. His father, Marcelo, returns to his pillaged castle to find German officers defecating on his furniture, his gold bathtub stolen, and his world destroyed.

This is Blasco Ibáñez at his most urgent and prophetic: a novel about the barbarism of war, the blindness of nationalism, and the ordinary people who are swept away by forces they cannot control. The title comes from a speech by a Russian neighbor, Tchernoff, who, watching the troops depart, declares that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse—Conquest, War, Famine, and Death—have been unleashed upon the world.

• First published in 1916, the biggest bestseller of the First World War era

• The English translation became the bestselling novel in the United States in 1919

• Adapted into the 1921 silent film that made Rudolph Valentino a superstar

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the horsemen never truly disappear; they only wait for the next war.

About the Author

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867–1928) was a Spanish novelist, journalist, and political activist, one of the most popular writers of his era. Born in Valencia, he was a republican militant and founded the newspaper El Pueblo. His life was as dramatic as his novels: he was imprisoned, survived an assassination attempt, and lived in exile in France. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1916) made him an international celebrity; it was the first novel to sell over a million copies in the United States. His other major works include Blood and Sand (1908) and his Valencian cycle: Arroz y tartana (1894), Flor de Mayo (1895), La barraca (1898), Cañas y barro (1902), and Entre naranjos(1900). He died in Menton, France, in 1928.