Sons and Lovers is D. H. Lawrence's most widely read novel and one of the great works of twentieth-century literature. In 1913, at the time of its first publication, Lawrence reluctantly agreed to the removal of no fewer than eighty passages which until now have never been restored. This edition presents the novel in the form that Lawrence himself wanted - about one tenth longer than the incomplete and expurgated version that has hitherto been available. The introduction of this edition relates much new information about Lawrence's two-year struggle to write his autobiographical masterpiece. The notes document many previously unknown sources, and indicate Lawrence's preoccupation with key contemporary issues such as women's rights, and the impact of evolutionary theory on religion and ethics.