Books

The Return of the Native, 3 volumes, 1st edition, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1878, half-titles, tiny marginal repair to volume I half-title and final leaf, last leaf of volume II and to gutter and outer margins of pp. 315-320 in volume III, top edge gilt. Attractive brown half calf by Francis Brown, Dorchester, spines with raised bands, morocco labels and gilt decorations, contained in bespoke cloth slipcase, 8vo [Purdy, pp. 24-27]. 1000 copies printed. The author's sixth published novel.

The Return of the Native is one of Thomas Hardy's novels of character and environment, first published as a serial in the magazine Belgravia, a publication known for its sensationalism, and was presented in twelve monthly installments from January to December 1878. The novel follows the lives of people in the fictional Egdon Heath, a symbol of Hardy's vision of nature and human passions.