Poems, by two brothers.

London: for W. Simpkin and R. Marshall, and J. and J. Jackson,, 1827. Very handsomely bound First edition, small paper issue, of Tennyson's first book of poems, published anonymously. Despite the title, there were in fact three brothers involved in the writing of the book, which included poems by Alfred, Charles, and Frederick. The publishers paid the authors 20 pounds for the copyright, a surprisingly large sum for unknown authors, obviously convinced of its merit. The work was issued simultaneously in large paper for 7s and small paper for 5s. Octavo (165 x 110 mm). Finely bound in late 19th-century red crushed morocco, spine with five raised bands, green morocco labels to second and third compartments, remaining compartments richly gilt with intricate flower and leaf tools, dots, and circlets, covers with foliate sprigs to corners enclosed within tools repeated from spine compartments, single gilt fillet border to covers, turn-ins with twin gilt rules to either side enclosing flower tools, blue endpapers, gilt edges. Bookplate of Thomas Gaisford (1816-1898), son of the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, to front pastedown; pencil ownership inscription of one Alfred T. White to front free endpaper, with his annotation "Sotheby's April 1890" to Gaisford's bookplate. A couple of corners bumped, endpapers lightly browned, minor foxing to outer leaves, contents otherwise clean. A handsome copy. Ashley VII, 102; Sterling 912; Tinker 2058; Wise, Tennyson, 1; Thomson 1.