A Group of Noble Dames (1903)
by Thomas Hardy
London and New York: Macmillan and co., Collected Edition, 1903. "First Collected Edition, 1891. New Edition and reprints, 1896-1900. New Edition, 1903." The "map" was originally at the end of the book. All ten stories were published in serial magazines before Hardy collected them (modified) into book form.

These tales of "dear dead women" of the last century, to which Mr. Hardy has given a slight seeming thread of connection by putting them into the mouths of different members of "one of the Wessex' Field and Antiquarian clubs," have much the same sort of fascination that one feels in reading the tales of the Arabian Nights. [...] Mr. Hardy's ten noble dames (with very varying degrees of noble instinct) move in a background of delightful rural scenery and stately domestic architecture of court, and hall, and manor house. —The Nation, July 23, 1891. (Full review in the Discussion page)

334597A Group of Noble Dames1903Thomas Hardy

THOMAS HARDY'S WORKS


THE WESSEX NOVELS
Volume XV.


A GROUP OF NOBLE DAMES

A
Group of Noble Dames


THAT IS TO SAY

THE FIRST COUNTESS OF WESSEX
BARBARA OF THE HOUSE OF GREBE
THE MARCHIONESS OF STONEHENGE
LADY MOTTISFONT
THE LADY ICENWAY
SQUIRE PETRICK'S LADY
ANNA, LADY BAXBY
THE LADY PENELOPE
THE DUCHESS OF HAMPTONSHIRE; AND
THE HONOURABLE LAURA


BY

THOMAS HARDY


WITH A MAP OF WESSEX


'. . . Store of Ladies, whose bright eyes
Rain influence.' L'Allegro.


London
MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAN COMPANY




First Collected Edition, 1891. New Edition and reprints, 1896-1900.
New Edition, 1903.



Contents

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PART I

BEFORE DINNER


PART II

AFTER DINNER


This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1928, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 95 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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