The following letter, from Hardy to his publishers, Smith, Elder & Co., has been transcribed by Birgit Plietzsch from CL, vol.1, p61.
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1, ARUNDEL TERRACE, | TRINITY ROAD, UPPER TOOTING. S.W. | Oct. 1. 1878
Dear Sirs,
I enclose for your inspection a Sketch of the
supposed scene in which the "Return of the Native"
is laid – copied from the one I used in writing the story
– & my suggestion is that we place an engraving of it as
frontispiece to the first volume. Unity of place is so seldom
preserved in novels that a map of the scene of action is as a
rule impracticable: but since the present story affords an
opportunity of doing so I am of opinion that it would be a
desirable novelty, likely to increase a reader's interest. I may
add that a critic one remarked to me that nothing could give such
reality to a tale as a map of this sort: & I myself have
often felt the same thing.
The expense of the engraving would not, I
imagine, be very great. In the drawing of the book it would be
desirable to shade the hills more fully than I have done in the
sketch.
Hoping that you will be disposed to give the
suggestion a trial, I am, Dear Sirs