Henry Hardy
Encyclopedia
Henry Robert Dugdale Hardy (born 15 March 1949) is a British
author and editor
.
. He went on to study classics, then philosophy and psychology, at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
, and philosophy at Wolfson College, Oxford
, where he met Wolfson's then President, Isaiah Berlin
.
Hardy's first major publication was a collection of writings by Arnold Mallinson, an eccentric Oxford clergyman with whom he lodged for a time; he published this work under his own imprint (Robert Dugdale). He also, while still a student, composed a number of musical pieces, which were published many years later as Tunes: Collected Musical Juvenilia (2003).
In addition to publishing under the pseudonym Robert Dugdale (since 1974), Hardy worked for many years (1977–1990) as an editor at Oxford University Press
, where his expressed hope to publish a book by Andrew Malcolm, subsequently not honoured by OUP, sparked Malcolm's landmark legal action against OUP for breach of contract. Hardy's side of this story is told in his review of Malcolm's book about the case. Hardy has been a Fellow of Wolfson College since 1990.
.
When Hardy met Berlin in 1972, Berlin was at the height of his fame as an intellectual figure; but he was viewed as not having written very much, and many doubted if he would leave a lasting contribution to scholarship beyond a small number of scattered essays. Hardy's research revealed that Berlin had published well over 150 pieces by the late 1970s.
His subsequent editing of Berlin's essay
s made Berlin's most important work widely available. In 1990 Hardy abandoned his career in publishing
to work full-time on Berlin's unpublished essays, lecture
s, and correspondence
. He has thus far produced 15 volumes of Berlin's writings, as well as the first 2 volumes of a 4-volume edition of Berlin's letters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Career
Hardy was born in London and educated at Lancing CollegeLancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
. He went on to study classics, then philosophy and psychology, at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, and philosophy at Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
, where he met Wolfson's then President, Isaiah Berlin
Isaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin OM, FBA was a British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas of Russian-Jewish origin, regarded as one of the leading thinkers of the twentieth century and a dominant liberal scholar of his generation...
.
Hardy's first major publication was a collection of writings by Arnold Mallinson, an eccentric Oxford clergyman with whom he lodged for a time; he published this work under his own imprint (Robert Dugdale). He also, while still a student, composed a number of musical pieces, which were published many years later as Tunes: Collected Musical Juvenilia (2003).
In addition to publishing under the pseudonym Robert Dugdale (since 1974), Hardy worked for many years (1977–1990) as an editor at Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, where his expressed hope to publish a book by Andrew Malcolm, subsequently not honoured by OUP, sparked Malcolm's landmark legal action against OUP for breach of contract. Hardy's side of this story is told in his review of Malcolm's book about the case. Hardy has been a Fellow of Wolfson College since 1990.
Writings of Isaiah Berlin
Hardy's most significant contribution to scholarship has been his editing of the writings of Isaiah BerlinIsaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin OM, FBA was a British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas of Russian-Jewish origin, regarded as one of the leading thinkers of the twentieth century and a dominant liberal scholar of his generation...
.
When Hardy met Berlin in 1972, Berlin was at the height of his fame as an intellectual figure; but he was viewed as not having written very much, and many doubted if he would leave a lasting contribution to scholarship beyond a small number of scattered essays. Hardy's research revealed that Berlin had published well over 150 pieces by the late 1970s.
His subsequent editing of Berlin's essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s made Berlin's most important work widely available. In 1990 Hardy abandoned his career in publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
to work full-time on Berlin's unpublished essays, lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s, and correspondence
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
. He has thus far produced 15 volumes of Berlin's writings, as well as the first 2 volumes of a 4-volume edition of Berlin's letters.