diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index deece0ec7..7a196a9c0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Change Log / Ray Tracing in One Weekend
 ### Common
   - Fix    -- Big improvement to print version listing font size (#1595) and more compact line
               height for code listings in both print and browser.
+  - Change -- Include hittable.h from material.h; drop `hit_record` forward declaration (#1609)
 
 ### In One Weekend
   - Fix    -- Fixed usage of the term "unit cube" for a cube of diameter two (#1555, #1603)
diff --git a/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html b/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html
index 99dab9737..9fb74907f 100644
--- a/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html
+++ b/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html
@@ -2791,7 +2791,7 @@
 
     #include "rtweekend.h"
 
-    class hit_record;
+    #include "hittable.h"
 
     class material {
       public:
diff --git a/books/RayTracingTheNextWeek.html b/books/RayTracingTheNextWeek.html
index a8c72bf66..f06ddb097 100644
--- a/books/RayTracingTheNextWeek.html
+++ b/books/RayTracingTheNextWeek.html
@@ -1346,13 +1346,11 @@
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
     #include "rtweekend.h"
 
-
+    #include "hittable.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++ highlight
     #include "texture.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
 
-    class hit_record;
-
     ...
 
     class lambertian : public material {
diff --git a/books/RayTracingTheRestOfYourLife.html b/books/RayTracingTheRestOfYourLife.html
index f6e1256f2..de7f9af06 100644
--- a/books/RayTracingTheRestOfYourLife.html
+++ b/books/RayTracingTheRestOfYourLife.html
@@ -2286,14 +2286,12 @@
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
     #include "rtweekend.h"
 
-
+    #include "hittable.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++ highlight
     #include "onb.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
     #include "texture.h"
 
-    class hit_record;
-
     class material {
       public:
         ...
@@ -3329,11 +3327,10 @@
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
     #include "rtweekend.h"
 
+    #include "hittable.h"
     #include "onb.h"
     #include "texture.h"
 
-    class hit_record;
-
 
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++ highlight
     class scatter_record {
@@ -3370,6 +3367,7 @@
     #include "rtweekend.h"
 
 
+    #include "hittable.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++ delete
     #include "onb.h"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++ highlight
@@ -3377,8 +3375,6 @@
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C++
     #include "texture.h"
 
-    class hit_record;
-
     ...
 
     class lambertian : public material {
diff --git a/src/InOneWeekend/material.h b/src/InOneWeekend/material.h
index 80e792666..253beda49 100644
--- a/src/InOneWeekend/material.h
+++ b/src/InOneWeekend/material.h
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 
 #include "rtweekend.h"
 
-class hit_record;
+#include "hittable.h"
 
 
 class material {
diff --git a/src/TheNextWeek/material.h b/src/TheNextWeek/material.h
index 1b168879a..c1f0305d2 100644
--- a/src/TheNextWeek/material.h
+++ b/src/TheNextWeek/material.h
@@ -13,10 +13,9 @@
 
 #include "rtweekend.h"
 
+#include "hittable.h"
 #include "texture.h"
 
-class hit_record;
-
 
 class material {
   public:
diff --git a/src/TheRestOfYourLife/material.h b/src/TheRestOfYourLife/material.h
index 5914d4a5f..4e2c81051 100644
--- a/src/TheRestOfYourLife/material.h
+++ b/src/TheRestOfYourLife/material.h
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@
 
 #include "rtweekend.h"
 
+#include "hittable.h"
 #include "pdf.h"
 #include "texture.h"
 
-class hit_record;
-
 
 class scatter_record {
   public: