by Thomas Hardy (Author), Linda M. Shires (Contributor), Suzanne B. Falck-Yi (Editor)
'I shall do one thing in this life - one thing for certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.' Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart. Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name of Wessex to the landscape of south-west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. Set against the backdrop of the unchanging natural cycle of the year, the story both upholds and questions rural values with a startlingly modern sensibility. This new edition retains the critical text that restores previously deleted and revised passages.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 496
Edition: Revised
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 14 Nov 2002
ISBN 10: 019280149X
ISBN 13: 9780192801494
Prizes: Runner-up for The BBC Big Read Top 100 2003. Shortlisted for BBC Big Read Top 100 2003.