Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is another poet that Carr omitted from his History of the QTP (1987). Six different versions have been seen. The first four listed here all have the same printer and state that there are 40 titles in the series. The impression with a cover printed in brown on pale orange is presumed to be the fourth impression, but this is just a guess. The fifth? impression is stated to be number 49 in the series of which there are 90 books, which is odd when the first four impressions were among the first 40 title. The last impression has a long list of books but has an empty space where the number in the series should have been inserted. There may be more impressions, who knows? I would imagine that this sold well in Dorchester.
The printing plates for the sixteen small illustrations and covers were sold at an auction on eBay in 2014. A photograph of the plate used to print the cover is shown below.
(Last updated on 31/1/2021)
SBP-HAR1: First edition?
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 129 x 98 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white printed shiny matt card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 16 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: not given
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: There are 40 books in the series
Printed by: Central Printing Works (Kettering) Ltd.
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; Beyond the last lamp; At tea; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Notes:
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: Although Carr stated inside the rear cover that the cover and end pieces were designed by Christopher Fiddes, all the illustrations were designed by Fiddes.
SBP-HAR2: Second impression?
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 131 x 97 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: light blue printed matt card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 16 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: not given
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: There are 40 books in the series
Printed by: Central Printing Works (Kettering)
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Notes: This is presumed to be the second impression because the text is printed in white paper.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
SBP-HAR3: Third impression?
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 131 x 96 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: light blue printed matt card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 16 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: not given
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: There are 40 books in the series
Printed by: Central Printing Works (Kettering)
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Notes: This is presumed to be the third impression because the colour of the paper was changed to pale brown.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover and last page(click to enlarge)
SBP-HAR4: Fourth impression?
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 130 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: orange printed matt card covers
Paper: pale green
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 16 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: not given
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: There are 40 books in the series
Printed by: Central Printing Works (Kettering)
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; Beyond the last lamp; At tea; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Notes:
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge) (photo needed)
Inside rear cover and last page (click to enlarge)
SBP-HAR5: Fifth impression
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 129 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: two
Binding: pink printed matt card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 15 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: This is no. 49 in the series.
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: There are 90 books in this series.
Printed by: none stated
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; Beyond the last lamp; At tea; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: One of the sixteen small illustrations has been removed from the top of inside the rear cover to allow for more text.
This book states that there are 90 books in the series. The first edition of Hardy stated that there were 40 in the series.
SBP-HAR6: Sixth impression
Title: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: J.L. Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: 197?
ISBN: None
Size: 129 x 98 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: two
Binding: white printed matt card covers
Paper: pale brown
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Christopher Fiddes
Internal illustrations: 14 illustrations by Christopher Fiddes
Number in series: not given
Colophon: none
Telephone number:
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: 88 titles
Printed by:
Content: Biography. Poems: Where once we danced..; Paying calls; The darkling thrush; The blinded bird; Afterwards; Faintheart in a railway station; The choirmaster's burial; The little old table; To Lizbie Browne; By her aunt's grave; The self-unseeing; Beyond the last lamp; At tea; In time of "The breaking of nations".
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: Two of the sixteen small illustrations have been removed from inside the rear cover to allow for the list of books. Carr forgot to add the number of the book in the series at the bottm of inside the rear cover; the space is empty.
Printing plate for the cover of the poems of Thomas Hardy
The plate dimensions are 140 x 203 mm.