THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE

London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1878. 3 volumes. First edition, and with the first issue state of the title-page to Vol. I. A COPY WITH FINE PROVENANCE, FROM THE DOHENY COLLECTION WITH THE FINE MOROCCO LABELS GILT OF ESTELLE DOHENY AT THE PASTEDOWNS. With a cartographic frontispiece in the first volume drawn by Hardy. 8vo, in the publisher's original brown fine-ribbed cloth with panels and simple ornaments blocked in black on the upper boards; the lower boards with a simple blind-stamped double ruled border, the spines attractively lettered and decorated in gilt and black, Purdy's first issue binding, which is Sadleir's second. Now housed together in a single morocco backed slipcase, with chemise, the spine tooled and decorated as a three volume set of books. [ii], vi, 304; [ii], vi, 297 [298], ad leaf; ii, vi, 320. A pleasing set in fully original state, the original cloth still bright with vivid decoration. Some of the expected rubbing along the edges and tips, the volumes just a touch shaken but the set fully unsophisticated and with no repairs or restoration, the textblocks still quite fresh. A rare work in the original cloth. A VERY HANDSOME AND PROPER SET IN FULLY ORIGINAL STATE AND WITH THE VERY FINE PROVENANCE OF THE DOHENY COLLECTION. THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE was written at Riverside Villa, Sturnmonster Newton, though probably finished at Upper Tooting where the Hardys took a house in March of 1878. The first seven chapters were written by the summer of 1877 and the first two books by November, and serial publication was begun in Chatto and Windus's "Belgravia" in January 1878.
Hardy had offered the novel to Leslie Stephen for the "Cornhill" magazine, but the latter feared that the novel's personal relations were developing into something too dangerous for a family magazine, and he refused to begin a serial publication without seeing the completed work. Since this was not possible, Hardy's association with Stephen as editor was ended, and Smith, Elder and Co. agreed on 20 September to publish the finished novel. The book was published in November of 1878 in an edition of only 1000 copies. It was never again reprinted in three-volume format.