I am obcessed with concise writing. Having said that, one of my all time favorite authors is Thomas Hardy. I own more than 20 books by Hardy. My favorite is "The Mayor of Casterbridge." Hardy can take a whole page just to tell you what the weather was suppose to be like; I have no defense except that if you pay close attention Hardy was a master at describing the human condition. I will put his depiction of the alcoholic mayor of castorbridge up against any clinical attempt. James