THE WORKS OF LORD BYRON With His Letters and Journals, and His Life by Thomas Moore

17 volumes. With an engraved frontispiece and title-page in each volume, eighteen of which are after J.M.W. Turner. Small 8vo, handsomely bound in three-quarter dark crimson morocco over marbled paper covered boards, the spines with raised bands separating the compartments, four compartments richly gilt with elaborate borders and center tooling, three compartments lettered in gilt, gilt ruled at the joins, marbled end-leaves and pastedowns, top edges gilt. A handsome set, some mellowing and light evidence of age, all volumes tight and strong and all illustrations and text-blocks in very good order.

Edizione: an important set of byron's works. lord byron was one of the leading figures of the romantic movement and remains today one of the most popular and romantic poets of the language. often described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major romantics, byron was both celebrated and castigated in life for his aristocratic excesses, including huge debts and numerous love affairs. he has since become regarded as one of the greatest british poets, and remains widely read and influential. among byron's best-known works are the narrative poems don juan and childe harold's pilgrimage and the short lyric she walks in beauty.<br> this set was originally planned in fourteen volumes, but before it was complete murray extended it to seventeen by including moore's life, letters, and journals of byron. an excellent set in handome period bindings. murray had a particular interest in byron and is largely responsible for publishing and promoting the author, as this fine collection attests. if not for murray’s efforts, it may have taken byron works years, if ever, to reach the same height of popularity and fame.<br> moore’s memoir of his friend byron is one of the most famous literary biographies in english literature. "it was exactly the biography which that age required: by no means complete or entirely authentic, nor claiming to be so, but presenting byron in the light in which contemporaries desired to regard him and in every respect a model of tact and propriety. the work will rank as a classic, even though its interest be less due to the efforts of moore"s own pen than to the charm of the letters which he was the first to give to the world" (richard garnett in d.n.b.)