Bound in green calfskin with gilt page edges.

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (1809-1892) was, and remains, one of the most popular English poets. He held the position of poet laureate for much of Queen Victoria's reign, from 1850 until his death in 1892.

Tennyson published Idylls of the King to great public acclaim at the end of June 1859. Prince Albert was one of its admirers and sent this copy to the poet in May 1860, with a request 'that you would be good enough to write your name in the accompanying volume ... You would thus add a peculiar interest to the book, containing those beautiful songs, from the perusal of which I derived the greatest enjoyment.' The Queen shared his enjoyment, and wrote to her eldest daughter Vicky: 'I have just been reading Tennyson's Idylls of the King which I think you would delight in. They are so very peculiar, quaint and poetic.'

Inscribed on the flyleaf: 'A Tennyson May 19th 1860'.

Text adapted from Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, London, 2010.