Thomas Hardy has come to be regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language, and is unique in achieving great distinction as both novelist and poet. The universality of his themes have made this most regional of authors known and loved throughout the world, and it is fitting that a major collection of material connected with Hardy, should be at Dorchester, his home for much of his life and the heart of Wessex.

The Works

The Collection contains many editions of these, including numerous first editions. Many of Hardy's works were first published in journals and magazines and issues of these are held. There are special limited editions, some notable for their fine illustrations and engravings, and a full set of the New Wessex Edition in hardback with introductions and notes, published by Macmillan during the 1970s. Minor writings include publications of Hardy's literary notes, his architectural notebooks and sketches, and contributions to works by other authors. Hardy's friends included some of the foremost literary figures of his time, and annotated volumes of his letters are a record of his correspondence with many famous people. There are translations of his works into most European languages and, amongst others, Icelandic, Hebrew, Serbo-Croat, Tamil and Chinese. Hardy has long been admired and studied in Japan and there are many editions of his works in Japanese.

Critical Works

Hardy disliked theorising about his writing, and during his lifetime his work received a mixed reception from others, ranging from dismissive reviews to critical acclaim, with a certain amount of notoriety for the radical nature of his later novels. Since his death there has been an increasing flow of critical works and most of these are held in the Collection, together with many articles from literary journals and nearly 1,000 theses for higher degrees in typescript or microform.

Biographies

Hardy did not want his readers to know much about him and published his own highly selective autobiography under the name of his second wife. In recent years several biographies, both popular and scholarly, have been written and the Collection contains pamphlets and articles by people who were friends, servants or relatives. These reminiscences by Dorset people make particularly interesting reading.

Dramatisations

All Hardy's major novels have been dramatised for stage, screen or radio, and the Collection contains many of the unpublished typescripts, together with programmes, photographs and playbills from past productions.

Music

Music was one of Hardy's great loves, and the rhythms and themes of some of his poetry have inspired composers of the stature of Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst and John Ireland to set his words to music. Sheet music, cassettes and records of music associated with Hardy are in stock.

Typographical works

Many books have been published on 'Hardy Country', a very beautiful area of Britain, showing the supposed locations of fictional incidents and giving the proper names of places described in great detail in the novels. Others have contemporary photographs of the real-life counterparts of characters such as Michael Henchard, Bathsheba, Giles, Tess, Jude and the agricultural workers and townspeople of whom Hardy wrote. The Collection also contains a large number of modern colour slides and photographs of places associated with the novels and poems.

Miscellaneous material

The Dorset History Centre has a large collection of ephemeral material connected with Hardy's life and works, consisting of newspaper cuttings, programmes, photographs, etc. There are cassettes of readings of his work and filmstrips of Hardy country. Microfilm copies are held of many of the original manuscripts, diaries and papers in the collections of national museums and in the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

Access to the Collection

The collection is held by Dorset History Centre in Dorchester. Please contact the Dorset History Centre for more information.

Photograph of Thomas Hardy by kind permission of  Dorset County Museum.