Thomas Hardy
- Books on site
- 2
- Total words
- 286,850
- Reading time
- 15.9 h
- Years covered
- 1886–1891
- Longest
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was born in a village in Dorset, trained as an architect in London, and returned to the county he renamed Wessex to write the novels that made him famous and, for a while, notorious.
The Hardy novels on this site are free in EPUB, AZW3 and KEPUB, complete and unabridged: Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) at about 150,000 words and The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) at about 138,000.
Every Thomas Hardy title on editions.ink
In publication order, with word counts and reading time. The list is generated from the book pages themselves, so a new release appears here automatically.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Tess of the d’Urbervilles| Year | Title | Words | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | The Mayor of Casterbridge | 138,000 | ~9 h |
| 1891 | Tess of the d’Urbervilles | 148,850 | ~10 h |
Still only at Project Gutenberg
Further Thomas Hardy titles are in the public domain but not yet built here. They are listed so you can see the shape of the whole bibliography; the links go to Project Gutenberg, where the plain text is available today.
- A pair of blue eyes (Gutenberg #224)
- Far from the Madding Crowd (Gutenberg #107)
- Jude the Obscure (Gutenberg #153)
- The Return of the Native (Gutenberg #122)
Read next
Authors whose books sit closest on the shelf:
Oscar WildeVictor HugoArthur Conan DoyleRobert Louis Stevenson
Questions readers ask
How many Thomas Hardy books are free on editions.ink?
There are 2 editions on the site, together about 286,850 words, or roughly 19 hours of reading. Each page has the full text as EPUB, AZW3 and KEPUB.
What is the best Thomas Hardy book to start with?
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886): it is a full novel but the most approachable of the long ones, at about 9.2 hours.
Are these editions complete or abridged?
Complete. The text comes from the public-domain transcription and is checked against the printed edition named on each book page; nothing is cut, modernised or annotated away.
Which format should I download?
EPUB is the safest default for phones, tablets, Kobo and most reading apps. AZW3 suits older Kindles, and KEPUB is the Kobo-native format with better page-turn and footnote handling on a Kobo device.
Do I need an account or an app?
No. The download links are direct files served from the site; no account, newsletter or paywall is involved.
How long does Tess of the d’Urbervilles take?
About 10.0 hours at 300 words per minute for 150,000 words — the longest title on this page. The whole list runs to roughly 19 hours.
Part of the author index and the complete catalogue. Every book page carries the full text, chapter summaries, characters, themes and the download links.