Though not one of Hardy's best-known novels, The Return of the Native remains firmly of his canon, and is a dense summation of the preoccupations that run through all of his work.
The Return of the Native was first printed as serial fiction in Belgravia magazine, from January to December 1878. Each installment featured a one page illustration by Arthur Hopkins, brother of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. The two men corresponded extensively over the detail of the illustrations, to ensure that they properly complemented Hardy’s intentions. The novel was also serialised in the U.S. in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, from February 1878 to January 1879.
The novel was first published as one...
