Links: The Wessex Novels Edition Map | The Wessex Edition Map

Hardy not only made frequent alterations to his texts, he also worked continuously on his maps of Wessex. The first map of of the entire region of Wessex that was included in any of his works appeared in the Wessex Novels Edition (1895). The second was published in the Wessex Edition (1912). By 1912 Hardy the poet and editor of his own texts had developed his fictional region further, and the by then more detailed descriptions of his fictional region demanded a new map. This, however, is not the only development as concerns both maps; some details of apparently one and the same map may differ from one edition or reprint of the same edition to the next.

The Wessex Novels Editon Map

With his eye for detail Hardy seems to have spotted an inconsistency between his fiction and the map of 1895 and corrected it. Unlike his fiction the map shows the real name for the Isle of Slingers — Portland in 1895 — an error that was corrected.

This section has been taken from the map printed in the first edition of Jude the Obscure (1895).

The maps in Macmillan's Pocket edition show an alteration of this name. This part was taken from the 1926 reprint of Desperate Remedies.

If this seems to be the only discrepancy between various prints of the 1895 map, there are more alterations in the later map of 1912. To account for his poetry Hardy no longer just called it "The Wessex of the Novels", which he had done in 1895, but "Map of the Wessex of the Novels and Poems". (In modern Macmillan edition it is just called "Thomas Hardy's Wessex".)

The Wessex Edition Map

Though there are others, the two of the main discrepancies between various versions of this map concern the regions "Off Wessex" and "Lower Wessex". In volumes 1 to 17 both regions are far less developed that in later volumes. As of volume 18 (A Changed Man) these regions are drawn in more detail.

In later versions of the map Hardy had the Lower Wessex settings Tor-upon-Sea, Idemouth, Silverthorn and Tivworthy added to the map.

Lower Wessex as it appeared initially in the Wessex Edition (1912).

Lower Wessex as it has been known to Hardy's readers of the Wessex edtion as of 1914. Alterations are marked by a red arrow.

As concerns Off Wessex, the most obvious change is that Hardy only decided to name this region in copies of his works that appeared after 1914. Another major novelty is the introduction of what Hardy calles the "Isles of Lyonnesse". In addition to this he introduced the settings Penzephyr, Trufal, and Valency Vale.

Section of the map as it originally appeared.

Section of the map as it appeared as of 1914. Alterations are marked by a red arrow.