Thomas Hardy
Page 53
Particular thanks to Sally Searle of the Old Rectory, St Juliot, who welcomed me so warmly when I stayed there, and gave up her time to visit places along the coast with me and to answer my questions.
Tony Lacey has been my editor at Viking Penguin for over twenty years and I can’t remember a single cross word in all that time; his enthusiasm, loyalty, support and editorial suggestions are greatly appreciated. Zelda Turner has put in many hours of work, especially with the illustrations, for which I am grateful. Dinah Drazin has laid out the illustrations beautifully.
Donna Poppy is the most meticulous of copy editors, on whom I confidently rely, and with her eagle eye she has as usual saved me from blunders, repetitions, misquotations and wrong dates. Once again she has been an indispensable part of the process of getting my book into shape.
My agent David Godwin, ever calm and encouraging, has helped me in every way, backed by a great team of assistants, all of whom I have reason to be grateful to, and to whom I give thanks.
Once again my husband has shown patience and kindness while I worked. His good spirits cheered me and his practical help – buying all the groceries for months – was great. He also took time to read the typescript and gave me such excellent suggestions for improving it that I adopted almost all of them.
He just wanted a decent book to read ...
Not too much to ask, is it? It was in 1935 when Allen Lane, Managing Director of Bodley Head Publishers, stood on a platform at Exeter railway station looking for something good to read on his journey back to London. His choice was limited to popular magazines and poor-quality paperbacks – the same choice faced every day by the vast majority of readers, few of whom could afford hardbacks. Lane’s disappointment and subsequent anger at the range of books generally available led him to found a company – and change the world.
We believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it’
Sir Allen Lane, 1902–1970, founder of Penguin Books
The quality paperback had arrived – and not just in bookshops. Lane was adamant that his Penguins should appear in chain stores and tobacconists, and should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes.
Reading habits (and cigarette prices) have changed since 1935, but Penguin still believes in publishing the best books for everybody to enjoy.We still believe that good design costs no more than bad design, and we still believe that quality books published passionately and responsibly make the world a better place.
So wherever you see the little bird – whether it’s on a piece of prize-winning literary fiction or a celebrity autobiography, political tour de force or historical masterpiece, a serial-killer thriller, reference book, world classic or a piece of pure escapism – you can bet that it represents the very best that the genre has to offer.
Whatever you like to read – trust Penguin.
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PENGUIN BOOKS
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First published 2006
Published in Penguin Books 2007
Copyright © Claire Tomalin, 2006
Map copyright © Andrew Farmer, 2006
Front cover: Thomas Hardy engraving by William Strang © National Portrait Gallery, London
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-14-101741-9