Two on a Tower

Two on a Tower was written hastily at Wimbourne for serial publication in the U.S. in The Atlantic Monthly where it appeared from May to December 1882. The first edition in book form was published by Sampson Low in October 1882. Although reviews were generally poor, Hardy noted that critics privately assured him of the novel's merit. He insinuated that some of them were hypocrites, who privately praised the novel while publicly denouncing his work as immoral.