Skip to content

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tess of the D'Urbervilles Paperback - 2008

by Thomas Hardy; Notes by Tim Dolin

Coming to PBS in January 2009-a MasterpieceTM Classic production ofThomas Hardy's Tess of the D'UrbervillesTess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veerfrom the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family isthe last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin-a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. With its sensitive depiction of one ofliterature's most admirable and tragic heroines and its powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of theD'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Thomas Hardy's novels.


About this book

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, was first published as a censored and serialized version in the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic in 1891. An intimate portrait of a woman, one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines...Tess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin—a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. Shaped by an acute sense of social injustice and by a vision of human fate cosmic in scope, her story is a singular blending of harsh realism and poignant beauty. Thomas Hardy created in Tess not a standard Victorian heroine but a woman whose intense vitality shines against the bleak backdrop of a dying way of life. The novel shocked contemporary readers with its honesty and remains a timeless commentary on the human condition. -

Summary

Coming to PBS in January 2009- a MasterpieceTM Classic production of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'UrbervillesTess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin- a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. With its sensitive depiction of one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines and its powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Thomas Hardy's novels.

From the publisher

Coming to PBS in January 2009- a MasterpieceTM Classic production of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'UrbervillesTess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin- a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. With its sensitive depiction of one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines and its powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Thomas Hardy's novels.

First Edition Identification

First published in 1891 by James R Osgood, McIlvaine & Co, London, in three volumes. Publisher's original sand-colored cloth with vertical linear designs of honeysuckle blossom on the upper covers, gilt decorations and lettering designed by Charles Ricketts. 

Details

  • Title Tess of the D'Urbervilles
  • Author Thomas Hardy; Notes by Tim Dolin
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Later Printing;
  • Pages 391
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Group, New York
  • Date 2008-12-17
  • ISBN 9780143115946 / 0143115944
  • Weight 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 in (19.56 x 12.95 x 1.78 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Women murderers, Didactic fiction
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2008046676
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840. In his writing, he immortalized the site of his birth--Egdon Heath, in Dorset, near Dorchester. Delicate as a child, he was taught at home by his mother before he attended grammar school. At sixteen, Hardy was apprenticed to an architect, and for many years, architecture was his profession; in his spare time, he pursued his first and last literary love, poetry. Finally convinced that he could earn his living as an author, he retired from architecture, married, and devoted himself to writing. An extremely productive novelist, Hardy published an important book every year or two. In 1896, disturbed by the public outcry over the unconventional subjects of his two greatest novels--Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure--he announced that he was giving up fiction and afterward produced only poetry. In later years, he received many honors. He died on January 11, 1928, and was buried in Poet's Corner, in Westminster Abbey. It was as a poet that he wished to be remembered, but today critics regard his novels as his most memorable contribution to English literature for their psychological insight, decisive delineation of character, and profound presentation of tragedy.

More Copies for Sale

tess of the durbervilles
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

tess of the durbervilles

by hardy, thomas

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
RIVER FALLS, Wisconsin, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.49
$5.49 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Trade Paperback. Penguin Books. Clean Text, No Water Damage, Strong Binding. Unless Listed in this decription, VG or Better.
Item Price
$2.49
$5.49 shipping to USA
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

by Hardy, Thomas

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$4.52
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp.
Item Price
$4.52
$3.99 shipping to USA
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

by Hardy, Thomas

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA
Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

by Hardy, Thomas

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Group, 2008. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)

by Thomas Hardy; Editor-Tim Dolin

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.63
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2008-12-17. Paperback. Good.
Item Price
$7.63
FREE shipping to USA
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)

by Thomas Hardy, Tim Dolin (Editor)

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143115946 / 0143115944
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$14.27
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2008-12-17. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
$14.27
FREE shipping to USA