The Return of the Native (1978), published by Easton Press and illustrated by Agnes Miller Parker, is a sumptuous collector’s edition of Thomas Hardy’s 1878 tragic masterpiece. Set against the brooding landscape of Egdon Heath—a character in its own right—the novel follows the fates of restless dreamer Clym Yeobright, his enigmatic wife Eustacia Vye, and the entangled lives of rural Dorset, where desire and destiny collide with cruel irony.
Parker’s woodcut illustrations, renowned for their stark elegance and emotional intensity, amplify Hardy’s naturalistic prose. Her bold contrasts of light and shadow mirror the novel’s fthemes of isolation and doomed passion, while her intricate linework captures the heath’s untamed beauty. Easton Press elevates the volume with its signature full leather binding, gilt accents, and archival paper, making it a fitting tribute to Hardy’s bleak yet poetic vision.
This edition honors Hardy’s exploration of free will versus fate, with Parker’s art serving as a visual counterpart to the novel’s atmospheric tension. A treasure for Hardy devotees and bibliophiles alike.
