Idylls of the King: In Twelve Books
Alfred Lord Tennyson, J.H. Fowler
Hardcover
(Macmillan & Co., London, March 15, 1962)
J.H Fowler's Prefatory Note from the original 1930 edition: "Annotated editions of the Idylls have already appeared in the "English Classics" Series, but I believe this to be the first commentary upon the "Idylls of the King" as a whole. In making it I have had the advantage of being able to use, through the kindness of the publishers, Lord Tennyson's own notes, and the notes of his son, and also the commentaries of the late Professor G.C. Macaulay upon several of the Idylls. I have kept the notes within the smallest compass that seemed consistent with the aim of giving all reasonable help in the elucidation of difficulties. Perhaps the feature that will be found most useful is one which occupies very little space - the cross references by which the student of any on Idyll can quickly find passages in the other Idylls which throw light on Tennyson's conception of such characters as Gwain and Modred. To help the student to build up his own notion from a comparison of passages seems better than supplying him with ready-made characters in an Introduction." The text contains: Editors notes, Introdustion, The text, Notes on the Text, Index to the First Lines and an index the Songs. Originally published in 1930, with reprints in 1952, 1958, and 1962.