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Written by Thomas Hardy - Performed by Stephen Thorne - Unabridged Fiction - 10 CASSETTES - 14 hours, 15 minutes

Publisher, Audio Partners (1998)

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A Cover to Cover Unabridged Classic. Cover to Cover is a British Line of unabridged classic literature featuring the highest quality recordings at value prices in handsome, collectable retail packages. The entire line carries the exclusive Royal Warrant from his Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. In addition, the British Spoken Word Publishing Association has honored Cover to Cover titles as the Best Unabridged Classic Productions for an unprecedented three years in a row.

"A tour-de-force for Stephen Thorne ... I can hardly credit now that it was the work of a single reader, so varied and so excellent are his portrayals. This is a recording that adds lustre to a classic work." --Gramophone

"The readings are sensitive and intelligent and even revelatory, for they made me aware of how much is lost in a great writer like Hardy by our habit of silent reading." --Thomas Hardy Society Journal

In Hardy's first masterpiece, he explores themes common to many of his works, including the conflicts between steady devotion and flaring passion. Though tragic, this novel is laced with fine comic observation, and presents a rich portrait of rustic, 19th-century British life.

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is one of the few writers to succeed as both a major novelist and a poet. He is the author of The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Several of his novels have been made into films, notably Far from the Madding Crowd (Schlesinger, 1967) and Tess (Polanski, 1979).

Stephen Thorne trained at RADA and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has appeared on many stages in England, and he has worked extensively in radio drama productions as well as documentaries, poetry recitals, and school programs.