Far From the Maddening Crowd (Annotated‪)‬

Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth book and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in Cornhill Magazine, where it gained a wide readership. Critical notices were plentiful and mostly positive. Hardy revised the text extensively for the 1895 edition and made further changes for the 1901 edition.


Gabriel Oak is a young shepherd. With the savings of a frugal existence, and a loan, he has leased and stocked a sheep farm. He falls in love with a newcomer six years his junior, Bathsheba Everdene, a proud beauty who arrives to live with her aunt, Mrs Hurst. Bathsheba comes to like Gabriel well enough, and even saves his life once, but when he makes her an unadorned offer of marriage, she refuses; she values her independence too much and him too little. Gabriel's blunt protestations only serve to drive her to haughtiness. After a few days, she moves to Weatherbury, a village some miles off.

This edition has been formatted for your reader, with an active table of contents.  This work has also been annotated, with additional information about the book and Thomas Hardy, including an overview, plot, analysis, adaptations, biographical and bibliographical information.