The Idylls of the King
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Tennyson, Alfred. The Idylls of the King. Ill. Alfred Kappes. New York: Pollard and Moss, 1887.
Alfred Kappes, the first illustrator of Sidney Lanier's The Boy's King Arthur, also created thirty-one illustrations for an elaborate folio edition of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Unlike the editions illustrated by artists like Doré and Brickdale, which included only the four 1859 idylls, this edition contained eleven idylls—'Geraint and Enid' not yet having been divided into two separate idylls. While Kappes depicts many scenes common to Malory and Tennyson, such as Elaine in the barge, the slaying of Tristram by Mark, and Arthur being taken off to Avalon, he also includes a number of scenes that reflect Tennyson's changes or additions to the story. For example, on Gareth's quest, the final knight he must fight is presented as a 'Skeleton Horseman'; and Kappes captures the alternate story of Arthur's birth as the ninth wave delivers the infant to Merlin.