The poems in this volume have been chosen, in a sense, to give Tennyson back to his readers. Few modern readers realize the true quality and range of his work, or are aware of his many moods.Alfred Tennyson was the poetic spokesman of the Victorian age. No other so completely embodied the spirit of his times, and surely none ever enjoyed such contemporary acclaim.Perhaps this very acclaim has blinded us to his actual work. We forget that, before he was a patriarch, Tennyson was a young poet, with a young man's vigor and variety, and that all his life he was a craftsman of infinite skill.Mrs. Rausen's selection demonstrates the scope of Tennyson's interest and art. The masculine enthusiasm of the ballad of "The Revenge" contrasts with the graceful lyrics from "The Princess," the philosophical speculation of "In Memoriam" with the ancient legends of Arthur and Maeldune. Through all of Tennyson's poems runs a fascination with nature. It is a theme in itself for him, and a vivid device in the creation of mood as well. But, above all, his poems are distinguished by their music--by the beat of ores and the thunder of the sea, the dreaming chant of the lotos-eaters and the clear call of a trumpet. Here is a poet who saw and loved keenly.