Richard Doddridge Blackmore (7 June 1825 – 20 January 1900), referred to most commonly as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works. Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.
Blackmore, often referred to as the "Last Victorian", acted as a pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others. He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Blackmore has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred."
Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been largely ignored. Save for his novel Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable ongoing popularity, his entire body of work has gone out of publication. Consequently, his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his personal favourite.