The Lover's Tale

London: C. Kegan Paul & Co, 1879. First Edition. Near Fine. 16mo, 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. (165 x 109 mm), 95 pp + 4pp ads; FINE FULL TAN CRUSHED MOROCCO BY ZAEHNSDORF (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with double gilt fillet border, 5 raised bands, spines gilt in compartments with decorative centerpiece, gilt titling, turn-ins with gilt decorative roll, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt. This is a handsomely bound copy of Tennyson's "A Lover's Tale", a text that underwent many changes and has a colorful publishing history. Written in 1828 when the poet was 19 years old, it was printed in 1833 (London, Moxton) mainly at the instigation of his friend and classmate at Trinity College Cambridge, Arthur Hallam, for distribution among the author's college intimates [Shepherd, Tennyson p. 12]. Only a few copies of this printing exist. Again in 1869 "A Lover's Tale" was sent to print to accompany "The Golden Supper" but was pulled at the last minute by Tennyson. Only 6 copies of this were saved from destruction. [Wise, Tennyson 10]
In a strange twist both of his bibliographers issued unauthorized version of this work. Shepherd in pirated pamphlets dated 1870 and 1875, eventually withdrawn but with some copies still circulating. And Wise forged the 1870 pamphlet, adding a title page. "Wise in his Catalogues was at great pains to plant this forgery of his also on Shepherd. It is a case of a forger cutting the throat of a not very wicked pirate' (Partington, p. 219)
FROM THE PREFACE: "The original Preface to 'The Lover's Tale' states that it was composed in my nineteenth year. Two only of the three parts then written were printed, when, feeling the imperfection of the poem, I withdrew it from the press. One of my friends however who, boylike, admired the boy's work, distributed among our common associates of that hour some copies of these two parts, without my knowledge, without the omissions and amendments which I had in contemplation, and marred by the many misprints of the compositor. Seeing that these two parts have of late been mercilessly pirated, and that what I had deemed scarce worthy to live is not allowed to die, may I not be pardoned if I suffer the whole poem at last to come into the light -accompanied with a reprint of the sequel-a work of my mature life-'The Golden Supper'." May 1879

There is a copy in The Royal Collection, inscribed to Queen Victoria by Tennyson (June 14th, 1879), during his term as Poet Laureate. There is also a copy in the Morgan Library (W 26 A).

Joseph W. Zaehndorf was a renowned binder in London and published a well known work in 1900 "The Art of Book Binding