Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is another poet that Carr omitted from his History of the QTP (1987). Five impressions have been seen. The first three listed here all have the same printer and state that there are 40 titles in the series. An impression with a cover printed in brown on pale orange has been seen, which is presumed to be the third impression, but this is just a guess. The fourth? impression is stated to be number 49 in the series of which there are 90 books. 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.
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:
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: 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 (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: 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-HAR5: Fifth 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.