A WELCOME and A WELCOME. TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS OF WALES FROM THE POET LAUREATE with an AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED TO HIS PUBLISHER

London: Edward Moxon & Co./Day & Son, 1863. First Edition. Wraps. The illuminated version is disbound and has a faint running stain in the lower left corner almost entirely in the margin. The signature is a bit faded with mounting traces on the verso of the letter. Near Fine. Included are a first issue copy (with the solid diamond and rule ornament on the title) of the 4-page leaflet (4-1/4" x 6-3/4") published by Edward Moxon & Co. and the version illuminated by Owen Jones (8-1/4" x 11-1/2") and published by Day & Son Lithographers to the Queen. Both are housed in a cloth slipcase with a leather label. Accompanying the two texts is a one-page AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED (ALS) completely in Tennyson's hand dated 30 March 1863, addressed to "Gentlemen" and obviously directed to Day & Son. In full: "Accept my best thanks for your kindness. I think you made very beautiful use of my words and I do not wonder at the applause illicited [sic] by your illumination. Believe me. Your very obedient servant. A. Tennyson." A rare example of Tennyson praising one of his publishers.

Written in honor of Princess Alexandra of Denmark whom the Prince of Wales married on 10 March 1863. The poem was presented to the royal family after the Princess's triumphal procession through London and just before the wedding. Reports were that the Queen read the poem with much pleasure and some excitement, perhaps due in part to the fact that every sentence in the poem is exclamatory.