The Moxon Tennyson: A Landmark in Victorian Illustration [Hardcover]

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

 

Edward Moxons 1857 edition of Alfred, Lord TennysonsPoemsdramatically redefined the relationship between images and words in print. Cookes 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 Tennysons poetry. This book considers the volumes 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.

Cookes analysis of this milestone Victorian publication reveals the fluctuating harmony and dissonance between Tennysons 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.

“Well-researched and highly readable, Cooke’s richly illustrated book harmonizes two schools of illustration, deftly examines image and word, and skillfully reads the conventional and innovative aspects of Tennyson’s poetry, making a significant contribution to the growing field of illustration studies.”—Catherine J. Golden, author ofSerials to Graphic Novels: The Evolution of the Victorian Illustrated Book

“Lavishly illustrated,The Moxon Tennysonby Simon Cooke makes important contributions to studies of Tennyson, print culture, and Victorian visuality. Cooke challenges prior scholarship’s focus on Tennyson’s Pre-Raphaelite illustrators, instead including all Tenl£.