The Woodlanders

Hardy had been considering the forest theme of the The Woodlanders (originally entitled Fitzpiers at Hintock) for nearly eleven years when he began writing the novel in November, 1885. The book which Hardy periodically called his favorite, The Woodlanders kept him "'working from half-past ten A.M. to twelve P.M., to get [his] mind made up on the details'" (Purdy, 57). Serial publication in Macmillan's Magazine began in May 1886, and continued through April 1887. The novel ran for twelve monthly installments and was published in March 1874 by Macmillan and Co.

Despite hasty publication which left 170 of the 1000 copies of the first edition to be sold at reduced rates, The Woodlanders was a complete success. Hardy did revise it considerably between serial and book publication; in some cases restoring the bowdlerizations of Macmillan's editor Mowbray Morris, in others making substantial changes to the plot and several deletions. Especially important revisions were made to chapters 12, 18, 34, 43 and 44.

Marriage Laws and The Woodlanders

Some sites associated with The Woodlanders:

Melbury Osmond ("Great Hintock")

Photographic Citations