<div>Thomas Hardy's first love was poetry. It was not until 1898, when he was 58, that his first book of poetry, <i>Wessex Poems</i> was published. For the final years of his life he abandoned fiction and devoted himself entirely to poetry; he is now not only regarded as one of the most important English novelists but is also a poet of major stature and increasing popularity. <i>The Complete Poems</i> includes Hardy's more than 900 poems, complemented by detailed notes. Collected here are his eight books of verse, all the uncollected poems, <i>Domicilium</i>, and the songs from <i>The Dynasts</i>. This edition contains an additional poem, <i>The Sound of Her</i>.<br></div>