PUBLISHERS' NOTE

A Household Edition of Tennyson's Poems was published by the predeces. sors of the present publishers in 1871, and advantage was at that time taken of Moxon's English edition with illustrations by artists, mainly of the Preraphaelite school, to include a number of these designs; to these were added designs by American artists who worked in much the same spirit. But that edition comprised somewhat less than half the present number of Tennyson's poems, and from time to time, as successive volumes of poems were republished by arrangement with the English publishers, their contents were added to the Household Edition and accompanied by new designs by English and American artists.

The recent issue by the publishers of the Cambridge Edition of Tennyson's poetic and dramatic works, in which the text was very carefully determined, has induced them to reissue the Household Edition on practically the same lines as the original edition, but with entirely new plates of larger type, and with such a revision of the illustrations as was possible under the improved conditions. The text is that of the Cambridge Edition, scrupulously followed. A brief biographic sketch has been provided, and suitable indexes have been furnished. The illustrations have been selected with great care from the best designs made to accompany the poems by English, American, and French artists, and have been reinforced also by portraits and representations of historic buildings. In repeating the important series by Millais, Rossetti, La Farge, Vedder, and others, recourse has been had to early impressions, and sometimes to the original blocks, to secure clearness of line and freshness of color. The total number of illustrations has been largely increased, and the result is the most thoroughly illustrated Tennyson thus far offered to the public.

The large body of Tennyson's poetic and dramatic works, when thus increased in bulk by so many illustrations, makes the problem of producing an agreeable single volume very difficult; but by the choice of a compact page, the use of a thin opaque paper, and great care in printing, the publishers trust they have at least come near the solution of the problem.

BOSTON: Autumn, 1899.