1869 Rare Vellum Book - Alfred Tennyson Idylls of the King, Hand-Illuminated

Author: Alfred Tennyson.
Title: Idylls of the King.
Publisher: London, Strahan and Co., Publishers, 56 Ludgate Hill, 1869. Early edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6.5 x 4 inches.
Pages: viii, 261 pages.
Binding: Very attractive and very good contemporary full vellum binding, ruled in gilt to the boards, with black morocco title label to the spine lettered in gilt. Marbled endpapers, all edges red. Light soiling and rubbing to the vellum - as shown. Binding remains sound and elegant. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good condition. Clean and well-preserved overall, with occasional light foxing or age-toning. Handsome 19th-century bookplate to the front pastedown.

Special feature: This copy has been delicately and skilfully adorned by a 19th-century hand with original ink marginal drawings and decorative embellishments throughout. These finely executed drawings, often in pale blue-grey ink, are integrated into the printed text and margins in a highly tasteful manner. This is not a standard illustrated edition, but rather a uniquely embellished copy, apparently decorated by a skilled contemporary or near-contemporary artist.

Estimate: (USD 300 – 350)

The book: A very attractive early edition of the first four poems of Tennyson’s celebrated Idylls of the King cycle: Enid, Vivien, Elaine, and Guinevere. Inspired by Arthurian legend and the stories of the Round Table, Tennyson’s Idylls became one of the defining poetic achievements of Victorian literature.

This 1869 Strahan edition is especially desirable because of its elegant vellum binding, red edges, marbled endpapers, and, above all, the unique manuscript embellishments added throughout the volume. The delicate drawings give the book the character of a private artistic copy, transforming the printed text into a one-of-a-kind object.

The author: Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892), Poet Laureate of Great Britain, was one of the most important and widely read poets of the Victorian age. His works include In Memoriam A.H.H., The Princess, Maud, The Charge of the Light Brigade, and Idylls of the King. His Arthurian poems helped shape the 19th-century revival of medieval romance and remain among his most admired literary productions.