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 A Bibliography of the Works of Thomas Hardy

(Mainly the First Edition Books and Collected Editions)

Desperate Remedies: 1871 3 Volumes, published by Tinsley Brothers, 500 copies, published anonymously.  Remainders issued with the 3 volumes bound in one volume.

Under the Greenwood Tree: 1872 2 Volumes, published by Tinsley Brothers, 500 copies, published anonymously.  Remainders issued with the 2 volumes bound in one volume.  Sterling 441; Sadleir 1117.

A Pair of Blue Eyes: 1873 3 Volumes, published by Tinsley Brothers, 500 copies.  Remainders issued with the 2 volumes bound in one volume.  Sterling 442; Sadleir 1112

Far from the Madding Crowd: 1874 2 Volumes, published by Smith Elder & Co., 1000 copies. Sterling 443; Sadleir 1105. ‘Second Edition’ 500 copies published 1875 with some textual alterations – ‘Second Edition’ appears on title page, but still dated 1874.

The Hand of Ethelberta: 1876 2 Volumes, published by Smith Elder & Co., 1000 copies.  Sterling 444; Sadleir 1107.

The Return of the Native: 1878 3 Volumes, published by Smith Elder & Co., 1000 copies.  Sterling 445; Sadleir 1113.

The Trumpet Major: 1880 3 Volumes, published by Smith Elder & Co., 1000 copies.  Sterling 427; Sadleir 1115.

A Laodicean: 1881 (December) 3 Volumes, first English edition published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1000 copies. Sterling 447; Sadleir 1109.  First published in America in November 1881 by Harper & Brothers, unbound and stapled with title page as wrapper.  One volume ‘new edition’ published by Sampson Low in 1882.

Two on a Tower: 1882 3 Volumes, published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1000 copies.  Sterling 428; Sadleir 1116.  ‘Second Edition’ issued in 1883 with some textual alterations.

The Mayor of Casterbridge: 1886 2 Volumes, published by Smith Elder & Co., 758 copies.  Sterling 449; Sadleir 1111.

The Woodlanders: 1887 3 Volumes, published by Macmillan & Co., 1000 copies, Sterling 450; Sadleir 1120.  Reissued in 1887 in single volume format – 2 impressions 2000 copies each.

Wessex Tales: 1888 2 Volumes, published by Macmillan & Co., 750 copies, Sterling 451; Sadleir 1119.  Reissued by Macmillan in a single volume edition of 1500 copies in 1889.  The Osgood McIlvaine edition of 1896 (Wessex Novels) contains an additional story – ‘An Imaginative Woman’.

A Group of Noble Dames: 1891 1 Volume, published by Macmillan & Co., 2000 copies. 

Tess of the D’Urbervilles: 1891 3 Volumes, published by Osgood & McIlvaine, 1000 copies, Sterling 453; Sadleir 1114..  A revised second impression (500 copies) was published in 1892 – dated 1892.  (Mixed impression sets occur).  Third impression 500 copies 1892.  The ‘Fifth Edition was the first single volume edition.  Amongst the textual differences are the following points: Purdy p75-76.

                                             1st impression              2nd impression

            V1 p[v] l 12                 ‘have it said’                  ‘have said’        

            V2 p58 l4                    ‘Valasquez’                   ‘Velasquez’

            V3 p112 l24                ‘are ye doing’                 ‘are you doing’

Life’s Little Ironies: 1894 1 Volume, published by Osgood & McIlvaine, 2000 copies. 

Jude the Obscure: 1896 [1895] 1 Volume, published by Osgood & McIlvaine, post-dated 1896, the 8th. Volume in the Wessex Novels series. 2000 copies. 

The Well-Beloved: 1897 1 Volume, published by Osgood & McIlvaine, the 17th. Volume in the Wessex Novels series.

Wessex Poems: 1898 1 Volume, published by Harper & Brothers, binding uniform with the Wessex Novels series. 500 copies

Poems of the Past and Present: 1902 [1901] 1 Volume, published by Harper & Brothers, post-dated 1902, binding uniform with the Wessex Novels series. 1000 copies (500 UK, 500 USA – 2nd. issue).  Combined with ‘Wessex Poems’ in the Macmillan Wessex Novels Edition of 1912.  Second impression revised (called the second edition) published 1902, almost indistinguishable from the first except for the textual differences, among which is the following point: Purdy p119

                                 1st impression              2nd impression

            p45                ‘like gravure                   ‘like impress     

The Dynasts, Part First: 1903 [1904] 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, dated 1903, second issue dated 1904 in which title page [a]3 is a cancel pasted on a stub and dated 1904 (1000 copies), un-cancelled copies dated 1903 exist.  Second impression revised – copyright notice reads ‘First Edition 1903. Reprinted 1904’ (1000 copies),

The Dynasts, Part Second: 1905 [1906] 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, dated 1905, 1508 copies (of which 248 for USA), second state in which title page [a]3 is a cancel pasted on a stub and dated 1906, un-cancelled copies dated 1905 exist.  Second impression 1909.

The Dynasts, Part Third: 1908 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, 1500 copies (of which 250 for USA).  Second impression 1910. First single volume edition of the three parts published in 1910.

Time’s Laughingstocks: 1909 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 2000 copies.  Second impression revised 1910.

A Changed Man and Other Tales: 1913 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, uniform with the ‘Wessex Novels’, ‘The Wessex Novels Volume XVIII’ appears on the half-title. 10,000 copies.

Satires of Circumstance: 1914 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 2000 copies.  Second impression revised 1915.

Moments of Vision: 1917 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 3000 copies.  Combined with ‘Satires of Circumstance’ in Wessex Edition of 1919.

Late Lyrics and Earlier: 1922 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 3250 copies.  Combined with ‘The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall’ in Wessex Edition of 1926.

The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall: 1923 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, 3000 copies.  Second impression revised printed 1924 (1000 copies).

Human Shows Far Phantasies: 1925 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 5000 copies.  Second and third impressions in 1925.

Winter Words: 1928 1 Volume, published by Macmillan, format uniform with ‘The Dynasts’. 5000 copies.  Combined with ‘Human Shows’ in Wessex Edition of 1931.  Large Paper limited edition of 500 copies published in 1928 in USA (along with a trade edition).

 

The Wessex Novels Edition – a set of 16/18 uniform volumes, published between 1895 and 1896 (the first of the collected editions, later extended to 18 volumes, the full set of 18 volumes containing 3 first editions).  Each volume has a frontispiece etching by Henry Macbeth-Raeburn (1860-1947) and map of Wessex to the rear;  Bound in ribbed dark green cloth with gilt circular TH monogram to the front board.  ‘A Changed Man published in 1913, subsequently forms the 18th volume in the series’.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Vol I, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

Far from the Madding Crowd – Vol II, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

The Mayor of Casterbridge – Vol III, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

A Pair of Blue Eyes – Vol IV, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

Two on a Tower Dames – Vol V, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

The Return of the Native – Vol VI, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1895

The Woodlanders – Vol VII, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896 [1895]

Jude the Obscure – Vol VIII, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896 [1895] (First Edition of this work, see above)

The Trumpet Major – Vol IX, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896 [1895]

The Hand of Ethelberta – Vol X, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

A Laodicean – Vol XI, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

Desperate Remedies – Vol XII, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

Wessex Tales – Vol XIII, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

Life’s Little Ironies – Vol XIV, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

A Group of Noble Dames – Vol XV, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

Under the Greenwood Tree – Vol XVI, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1896

The Well-Beloved – Vol XVII, Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1897 (First Edition of this work, see above)

A Changed Man and Other Tales – Vol XVIII, Macmillan & Co. 1913 (First Edition of this work, see above)

 

The Mellstock Edition – 37 volumes, published by Macmillan between 1919 and 1920 in a limited edition of 500 sets, blue cloth, volume 1 (Tess.. vol 1) signed by Hardy.

The Wessex Edition – 24 volumes, published from 1912 - 1931 by Macmillan. Maroon cloth.  Herman Lea’s ‘Thomas Hardy’s Wessex’ (Macmillan 1913) was issued in a uniform binding.

The Uniform Edition – tbd volumes, published from 1902 onwards by Macmillan. Green cloth in dustwrappers.

The ‘Pocket’ Edition – 28 volumes, published from 1906 onwards by Macmillan in printings of 2000 copies upwards, bound in either maroon cloth, maroon leather, blue leather, tan leather (scarce).  The earlier editions have gilt top edges/spines and the earlier cloth bindings have blind-stamped pattern to the boards. Herman Lea’s ‘Thomas Hardy’s Wessex’ (Macmillan 1913) was issued in a uniform binding.

 

Purdy = Purdy, R. L.: Thomas Hardy: A Bibliographical Study (Oxford, 1954).

Sadleir = Michael Sadleir, XIX Century Fiction: A Bibliographical Record based on his own Collection, 2 vols. (Cambridge, 1951).

Sterling - The Sterling Library - a Catalogue of the Printed Books and Literary Manuscripts, (Private 1954).

 

© 2007 Peter Shouler.