Matthew Arnold's First Editions

by Donna Jan Pridmore

That there are many editions of Arnold's poetry, all titled Poems, with many dates, with different poems included and excluded, not to mention unauthorized editions, makes for a confusing situation for anyone who encounters an old edition of Matthew Arnold's Poems. The following explanation of Arnold's editions, their dates and changes, may help the reader identify a specific copy of Arnold's Poems. And since Google Books has been digitizing old books, including a few of Arnold's old editions, the hyperlinks here make it possible to view some of Arnold's original first editions.

Matthew Arnold's earliest publications were two pamphlets, "Alaric at Rome," 1840, and "Cromwell," 1843. They were poems he won prizes for while in college. Arnold's first book of poetry was The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems. 1849. London: B. Fellowes, Ludgate Street, 1849. It is not available through Google books, nor is his second published volume, Empedocles on Etna, and Other Poems, 1852. London: B. Fellowes, Ludgate Street, 1852. Both of these were published anonymously, by "A." The list of the poems in these volumes can be obtained by consulting the Smart bibliography below.

Poems by Matthew Arnold, 1853. A New Edition. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. M DCCCLIII. The first collection of his poetry that included Matthew Arnold's name as the author. It reprinted some of the poems from the two earlier volumes and new poetry. As Tinker and Lowry note, "the poet's intention was, obviously, to include in this volume all that he cared to acknowledge as his own." It was the first edition of Arnold's poems to group the "Marguerite" poems together as the "Switzerland" series. In this edition there are six Switzerland poems: I. "To My Friends." II. "The Lake." III. "A Dream." IV. "Parting." V. "To Marguerite." VI. "Absence." This edition of Arnold's poems is sometimes called the "first series" to distinguish it from the Second Series, described below. It was reissued twice, with the same title, but with some changes in the poems included. The later editions were Poems, 1854, Second Edition, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans; and Poems, 1857, Third Edition, London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts. The Switzerland series contains one new poem, "To Marguerite." The poem previously titled To Marguerite becomes retitled "Isolation."

Poems. Second Series. 1855. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, M DCCCLV. This volume included some different poems salvaged from The Strayed Reveller and Empedocles on Etna.

An American edition came out in 1856 from Ticknor and Fields in Boston, titled Poems A New and Complete Edition, that combined material from the First and Second Series, which made this the most extensive collection of his poetry to appear to date.

The next edition of Arnold's poetry was New Poems. 1867. London: Macmillan and Co., MDCCCLXVII. It contained some new and some old, reinstated poems, notably "Empedocles on Etna." It was reprinted as New Poems, 1868. Second Edition, London: Macmillan and Co., MDCCCLXVIII, with only a small change.

The next edition was Poems, 1869. London: Macmillan and Co., M DCCCLXIX. This was the first collected edition of Matthew Arnold's poetry. It was issued in two volumes, and it grouped the poetry according to types, under the following headings: The First Volume, Narrative and Elegiac Poems; the Second Volume, Dramatic and Lyric Poems. It was reprinted by Macmillan in 1877. At that time, one new poem was added, Arnold added a new heading, "Early Poems," and some poems consequently were rearranged. The First Volume, a "New and Complete Edition," contained Early Poems, Narrative Poems, and Sonnets. The Second Volume contained Lyric, Dramatic, and Elegiac Poems. The Switzerland series (i.e. the Marguerite poems) in this version are eight in number. The Table of Contents in Volume 2 groups under Switzerland: I. A Memory Picture (In First Series, entitled "To My Friends.") II. Meeting (In First Series, entitled "The Lake.") III. Parting. IV. A Farewell. V. Absence. VI. Isolation: To Marguerite. (In First Series: 1857, entitled "To Marguerite.") VII. To Marguerite. Continued. (In First Series: 1857, entitled "Isolation.") VII. The Terrace at Berne.

Selected Poems of Matthew Arnold. 1878, was issued by Macmillan and contained 53 poems, selected by Arnold. It was reissued in 1879 with one alteration, and frequently thereafter.

The next collected edition of Arnold's poetry was Poems. 1881. This new edition from Macmillan contains almost no alterations from the 1877 edition.

The next collected edition of Arnold's poetry was Poems. 1885. London: Macmillan and Co., 1885. This was issued in three volumes, instead of the earlier two volumes, and contained a new heading, "Later Poems." The (unnumbered) volumes were [1] Early Poems, Narrative Poems, and Sonnets; [2] Lyric and Elegiac Poems. By this point Switzerland series (i.e. the Marguerite poems) includes the "standard" seven poems: 1. Meeting. 2. Parting. 3. A Farewell. 4. Isolation: To Marguerite. 5. To Marguerite. Continued. 6. Absence. 7. The Terrace at Berne. [3] Dramatic and Later Poems. The 1885 edition was reprinted by Macmillan in 1888, titled New Edition: 1888. Thomas Burnett Smart does not provide details of American editions, but Google books has digitized what appears to be the American editions of the first volume, and the American edition of the third volume. London and NY, Macmillan and Co. 1889

Two and a half years after Arnold's death, a one-volume edition of his poetry was issued, Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold. 1890. London: Macmillan and Co., 1890. This added two late poems and included a photograph of Arnold on the frontispiece.

This discussion of Arnold's editions is taken from C.B. Tinker and H.F. Lowry, in The Poetry of Matthew Arnold, A Commentary, and Thomas Burnett Smart's The Bibliography of Matthew Arnold.

Smart, Thomas Burnett. The Bibliography of Matthew Arnold, (1892). A still reliable descriptive list of all of Matthew Arnold's works, and the contents of each, including the list of poems in each of the many editions of his poetry. Full text available online from Google Books.

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