Thomas Hardy's Wessex Thomas Hardy's Wessex The English author Thomas Hardy set all of his major novels in the south and southwest of England. He named the area "Wessex" after the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom that existed in this part of that country prior to the unification of England by Æthelstan. Although the places that appear in his novels actually exist, in many cases he gave the place a fictional name. For example, Hardy's home town of Dorchester is called Casterbridge in his books, notably in "The Mayor of Casterbridge". In an 1895 preface to the novel "Far From the Madding Crowd" he described
Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set after 1603 Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set after 1603 Nigel Tranter is a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters. This page includes those of his historical novels set in Scotland after the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England upon the death of his cousin Elizabeth I. For historical novels set earlier than this see Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set before 1286 or Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set between 1286 and 1603. For other books by Nigel Tranter, see here. 1603–1611 James VI