Cooke’s analysis of this milestone Victorian publication reveals the fluctuating harmony and dissonance between Tennyson’s poems and their illustrations, the technical challenges and occupations involved in its manufacture, its readers’ contemporary reception, and its subsequent influence as a variously revered and reviled publication.

A new perspective on a book that transformed Victorian illustration into a stand-alone art.

Edward Moxon’s 1857 edition of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Poems dramatically redefined the relationship between images and words in print. Cooke’s study, the first book to address the subject in over 120 years, presents a sweeping analysis of the illustrators and the complex and challenging ways in which they interpreted Tennyson’s poetry. This book considers the volume’s historical context, examining in detail the roles of publisher, engravers, and binding designer, as well as the material difficulties of printing its fine illustrations, which recreate the effects of painting. Arranged thematically and reproducing all the original images, the chapters present a detailed reappraisal of the original volume and the distinctive culture that produced it.

"“Cooke succeeds in challenging accepted views and informatively reconsiders the Moxon Tennyson as an integrated whole, rather than the sum of its supposedly incompatible parts.”" - Journal of Victorian Culture

"“[Simon] Cooke has given us a penetrating study which shows that the [Moxon Tennyson] is not merely a ‘landmark in Victorian Illustration’ but something far greater and indeed a central creation of English Literature and art that moves it far beyond its historical context.”" - Victorian Web

"A massive accomplishment...Having spent a great deal of time conducting research into the Moxon Tennyson, learning about its history and rummaging through archives, Cooke has reopened the conversation about the Moxon Tennyson as a ‘Landmark in Victorian Illustration’, yet this time by telling the story anew." - Publishing History

"The Moxon Tennyson should remain essential reading for scholars of visual art, poetry, and the history of the book." - Victorian Studies