Thomas Hardy

Michael Millgate was born in England and educated at Cambridge University, before doing a PhD in American literature at Leeds. He moved to the University of Toronto in 1967, where he devoted his time to studying the life and works of Thomas Hardy. He has edited seven volumes of Hardy's letters, and the selected letters of his wives. Millgate's 'Thomas Hardy: A Biography', first published in 1982, is widely acknowledged as the standard life of Hardy.

• Prologue ; 1. Hardys and Hands ; 2. Bockhampton ; 3. Dorchester ; 4. London ; 5. The Poor Man and the Lady ; 6. St Juliot ; 7. Far From the Madding Crowd ; 8. Marriage ; 9. Sturminster Newton ; 10. The Return of the Native ; 11. Illness ; 12. Return to Dorchester ; 13. Max Gate ; 14. The Woodlanders ; 15. The Writing of Tess ; 16. The Publication of Tess ; 17. Florence Henniker ; 18. The Making of Jude ; 19. The Publication of Jude ; 20. Keeping Separate ; 21. Pessimistic Meliorist ; 22. The Dynasts ; 23. After the Visit ; 24. A Funeral ; 25. A Second Marriage ; 26. Life-Writing ; 27. Tea at Max Gate ; 28. Plays and Players ; 29. Last Things ; 30. Afterwards

...the updated work is likely to be the standard biography for at least another twenty years.