1859 – Idylls of the King – Alfred Tennyson | First Edition King Arthur Cycle

This first edition Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson recounts the lore of King Arthur and his court, which the poet laureate began publishing in 1859. Primarily inspired by Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, Tennyson created cycle of twelve poems written like an elegy, in mournful and reverent blank verse. The Idylls present Arthur’s rise to power, his goal of creating the perfect kingdom in Camelot, the success of his Knights of the Round Table, and his eventual betrayal and defeat at the hands of the traitor Mordred. The first set of four Idylls focuses on important women of Arthur’s court and includes the tales of Enid and her jealous husband, Geraint; Vivien’s seduction and entrapment of the wizard Merlin; the tragic and unrequited love of young Elaine for Sir Lancelot; and the fate of the disgraced Queen Guinevere.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Idylls of the King
• Author: Alfred Tennyson
• Publisher: London: Edward Moxon & Co.
• Edition: First Edition, 1859
• Binding: Green and gilt Moroccan leather
• Format: Duodecimo (12mo), single volume
• Size: ~ 6.75in × 4.25in (17cm × 11cm)
• Collation: [6], 261, [1] pp
• Contents Include:
  • Enid
  • Vivien
  • Elaine
  • Guinevere
• Provenance: Handwritten inscription to Caroline D. Dodgson from her affect.^te sister Jessie Dodgson, June 21^st,1862
• Reference(s): Lowndes 2605; Ashley VII, 120; Sterling 924

Condition:

Very Good+. The green Moroccan leather binding shows mild wear to the spine and corners with some staining to the boards, but the hinges are secure and the text block is tight. The pages are clean overall, with scattered spotting.

Why Collect This?

• First Edition of Tennyson’s first four Idylls of the King
• Classic Arthurian legends presented in elegiac blank verse
• Decorative Victorian binding makes for a beautiful display

Item Number: #31294