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 In July this year (2010) the Thomas Hardy Society published an illustrated guide titled Thomas Hardy and the Jurassic Coast, written by Rebecca Welshman and Patrick Tolfree a Vice President of the THS. The guide details Hardy's affinity with the coast and his interests in geology and archaeology. It also identifies 20 Hardy-Jurassic landmarks within 5 miles of the coast which feature in his work, including houses, archaeological sites, geological features, towns and villages. The project was a collaboration with local artist and illustrator, David Brackston, the Thomas Hardy Society, and the Jurassic Coast Trust, and is the first of its kind to associate Hardy with the Jurassic Coast.
November also saw the publication of a new anthology of the work of Richard Jefferies, edited by Hugoe Matthews, President of the Richard Jefferies Society, and Rebecca Welshman.
This is the first anthology of Jefferies work that considers the full range of the author's work, from 1866-1887. The selections are chronological and show a shift in the emphasis of his early work, which focused largely on practical subjects such as farming and rural life, to his later work of increased sensitivity and perception of the natural world. The book seeks to reveal the organic continuity and calm objectivity of Jefferies' writing, which was present from his teens and addressed a diversity of subjects during an extraordinary era of change, illuminating both the man behind the words, and the times in which he lived. The publication release date celebrates 162 years since the author was born.
During Rebecca Welshman's PhD research she has also found two unknown letters by Jefferies written to a national journal devoted to the study of astronomy, dated 1870 and 1871. To read more about this click here
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