# Is "Idylls of the King" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Edward Moxon, 1859) is identified by: First edition contains only four idylls, "Enid," "Vivien," "Elaine," and "Guinevere," collating [viii], 261 pages; the much longer twelve-idyll cycle familiar today was assembled by Tennyson only gradually, in installments published in 1869, 1872, and 1885.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition contains only four idylls, "Enid," "Vivien," "Elaine," and "Guinevere," collating [viii], 261 pages; the much longer twelve-idyll cycle familiar today was assembled by Tennyson only gradually, in installments published in 1869, 1872, and 1885
- First issue has the verso of the title leaf blank
- Collates with 8 pages of publisher's advertisements at the front dated July 1859; bound in light green cloth blind-stamped with the title in gilt on the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Edward Moxon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alfred, Lord Tennyson |
| Publisher | Edward Moxon |
| Year | 1859 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | First edition contains only four idylls, "Enid," "Vivien," "Elaine," and "Guinevere," collating [viii], 261 pages; the much longer… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition contains only four idylls, "Enid," "Vivien," "Elaine," and "Guinevere," collating [viii], 261 pages; the much longer twelve-idyll cycle familiar today was assembled by Tennyson only gradually, in installments published in 1869, 1872, and 1885. First issue has the verso of the title leaf blank. Collates with 8 pages of publisher's advertisements at the front dated July 1859; bound in light green cloth blind-stamped with the title in gilt on the spine.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A copy of Idylls of the King containing more than the original four idylls (for example with "Gareth and Lynette," "The Coming of Arthur," or "Balin and Balan") is by definition a later, expanded edition. The original four idylls were also individually retitled later ("Enid" was eventually split into "The Marriage of Geraint" and "Geraint and Enid"), so a true first edition should still show the single original "Enid" title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Idylls of the King* by Alfred, Lord Tennyson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/idylls-of-the-king
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.