TENNYSON, Alfred, Lord.

£1,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Princess; A Medley. First edition, inscribed by the author on the half-title, "Mary Howitt from A Tennyson". The two were close friends, and exchanged copies of their books, with Tennyson a frequent visitor at her Lower Clapton home: in 1846 Howitt wrote to a friend, "we have had Tennyson with us a good deal lately. We quite love him" (Howitt, p. 189).Howitt (1799-1888) was a writer, translator, and activist for the women's rights movement. Tennyson wrote to her in 1847 gifting her this book: "I got your beautiful book of Ballads the other day at Moxon's... Accept in return a book of mine which I have sent to Longmans' for you. I don't believe you will like it - not at least till after three readings, if you will honour it so far" (Memoir, vol. I p. 261).The Princess was Tennyson's contribution to the debate on women's role in Victorian society. It contains some of the author's best-known lyrics, such as "Tears, Idle Tears", "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal", and "The Splendour Falls".

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