Author: Alfred Tennyson. Illustrated by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale.
Title: Idylls of the King Illustrated in Colour by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale.
Publisher: London, New York, Toronto, Hodder & Stoughton, 1911. First Illustrated Edition by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale. 
Language: Text in English.
Size: 10.5 " X 8.5 ".
Pages: 173 pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine P<publisher’s striking royal-blue cloth binding, lavishly decorated in gilt with interlaced heart-and-crown motifs and a central sword device. Spine richly gilt in matching heraldic style (hinges fine, gilt bright - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. 
Content: Near fine content (bright, tight, and clean, some faint offsetting to endpapers (common in this edition), otherwise clean, fresh, and bright. - as shown). An exceptionally clean copy!
Illustrations: Complete with 21 superb tipped-in color plates by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, each mounted on thick card with elaborate gilt ornamental borders printed in the Art Nouveau style. Tissue guards present and clean.

Estimate: (USD 600 - USD 700)

The book: A magnificent First illustrated edition of Tennyson’s Arthurian masterpiece, produced during the golden age of British gift books. Hodder & Stoughton’s Brickdale series is among the most beautiful examples of early 20th-century fine publishing — a lavish, oversized volume designed as an object of art as much as a literary monument.

Brickdale’s illustrations are deeply romantic, richly colored, and imbued with pre-Raphaelite sensibilities: shimmering fabrics, medieval interiors, expressive figures, and a strong sense of mythic atmosphere. Her ornate gilt borders integrate seamlessly with the plates, giving each scene the appearance of a medieval illuminated miniature.

The binding — one of Hodder’s most iconic — is a tapestry of crowns and heart-shields framing a vertical sword, evoking Excalibur itself. This is a statement piece: elegant, heroic, and unmistakably Arthurian. A centerpiece for any collection of illustrated classics or Arthurian literature.

The author: Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) served as Poet Laureate of Great Britain and remains one of the central voices of the Victorian era. A master of rhythm, imagery, and emotional grandeur, he reshaped the Arthurian legends for a modern audience. Idylls of the King — published across several decades — presents a sweeping, introspective reimagining of the rise and fall of Camelot, exploring knightly virtue, human frailty, fate, and the dream of a better kingdom.

For many readers, this cycle remains the definitive poetic retelling of King Arthur.

The illustrator:  

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872–1945) was one of the leading female illustrators of the Golden Age, closely associated with the later Pre-Raphaelite movement. A painter, designer, and book illustrator, she brought a uniquely refined sensibility to her work: meticulous detail, jewel-like color palettes, and expressive medievalism.

Her illustrations for Idylls of the King are considered her masterpiece and stand among the finest Arthurian images ever created — on par with Rackham, Dulac, and Burne-Jones in imaginative richness.