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The plates bring together Doré's illustrations from Tennyson's poem sequence Idylls of the King, namely Enid, Elaine, Vivien and Guinivere. These were each published separately by London publisher Moxon. "One of the finest lyrists of the English tongue" (Kunitz & Haycraft, 612), Tennyson reawakened the general reading public's interest in Arthurian legend with his Idylls of the King.
The first four of the cycle's eventual 12 poems were first published in 1859. Tennyson's retelling of the old tales placed them "on a new plateau of respect and significance for writers and artists" (Lacy, 446). "No other foreign illustrator and few native ones of the period so completely captured the English fancy [as Doré]Tennyson and his publisher Moxon greatly favored Doré as an illustrator" (Muir, Victorian Illustrated Books, 227, 244). Moxon was, in fact, "the only publisher ever to commission steel engravings from Doré.the steel engravings give much more of a speckled look to the scenes, different from the grainy look of Doré's usual wood engravings. It produces a dreamy, mystical, serene [feeling] that is quite different for Doré" (Malan, 97).
The edition is undated, and in a plain unlettered cloth ( at the time editins siuch as this were often purchased in a plain binding, sold unbound , or the text was available in different and more expensive) bindings. Gilt finish to page block.
16 pages of introductory text. Some age spotting and foxing to pages, moderate however.
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