Books

London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1878, 1878. FIRST EDITION FIRST ISSUE. 3 vols., 7-1/4" x 4-15/16", (without the quotation marks after A Pair of Blue Eyes on the title of volume I), bound in 3/4 brown morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spines, top edges gilt, internally clean and bright, hinges fine, head and foot of spines fine, overall VERY GOOD.

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.