Becket (First Edition, Good)

London: MacMillan and Co. , 1884. FIRST EDITION. Full green cloth with gilt lettering on the spine. Corner bumped with moderate wear at the top & boottom of the spine. Front and back cover a bit mottled. Gift inscription on front free endpage. Overall in GOOD MINUS condition only. Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and is one of the most popular English poets. Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, although In Memoriam was written to commemorate his best friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and classmate at Trinity College, Cambridge who was engaged to Tennyson's sister but died from a cerebral hæmorrhage. One of Tennyson's most famous works is Idylls of the King (1885), a series of narrative poems based entirely on King Arthur and the Arthurian tales, as thematically suggested by Sir Thomas Malory's earlier tales on the legendary king. The work was dedicated to Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. During his career, Lord Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success even in his lifetime. Tennyson wrote a number of phrases that have become commonplaces of the English language, including: "nature, red in tooth and claw", "better to have loved and lost", "Theirs not to reason why, /Theirs but to do and die", and "My strength is as the strength of ten, /Because my heart is pure".. First Edition. Full Cloth. Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Hardcover.