Childe Harold. The Works. In four volumes. [Vol. I. only.]

BYRON, George Gordon Noel, Lord.

Published by London: John Murray, 1816

Presentation copy of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, inscribed by Byron on the half-title, "To the Revd R. C. Maturin from the Author". Following Byron's death in 1824, Maturin inscribed a quatrain from a contemporary poem by James Montgomery on the rear free endpaper in memoriam: "Friend after friend departs; / Who hath not lost a friend? / There is no union here of hearts, / That hath not here an end". Byron and Maturin enjoyed a warm literary friendship, beginning in December 1815 when they were introduced by Walter Scott. That month, Maturin sent Byron the manuscript for his Gothic tragedy Bertram. Byron adored the play, writing to John Murray that he received the manuscript "late in the evening and read [it] through, without being able to stop" (Murray, letter to Scott, 25 December 1815). In a letter to Maturin, he praised the work as "a very extraordinary production - of great & singular merit as a composition" (22 December 1815). Byron helped Maturin bring his work to the stage, sending the manuscript to George Lamb, with whom he managed the Drury Lane Theatre (Lamb, like Byron, read the play by candlelight and "could not go to bed without finishing it"). Despite his enthusiasm for Maturin's tragedy, Byron found himself exiled from England from April 1816, and never saw the play performed. His Childe Harold was nonetheless an important influence on its success: "Bertram undoubtedly benefitted from the great popularity of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, the first two cantos of which had been published in 1812, for the hero of Maturin's play was spoken of by a number of contemporary critics as a 'Byronic figure'" (Lougy, p. 45). The play became Maturin's first critical and commercial success, and his touching inscription at the rear of the volume reveals the gratitude and affection he felt for the poet. This copy of Childe Harold is from the 1816 edition of Byron's collected works. Robert E. Lougy, Charles Robert Maturin, 1975. Vol. I (of IV) only, duodecimo (165 x 106 mm). Engraved plate by Thomas Stothard, with tissue, facing p. 10. Contemporary unlettered calf. Housed in a custom brown quarter morocco folding box by the Chelsea Bindery. Book label of J. O. Edwards to front pastedown. Binding worn, front joint cracked but cords firm, contents clean. A good copy in unrestored condition. Seller Inventory # 174164

Bibliographic Details

Title: Childe Harold. The Works. In four volumes. [...
Publisher: London: John Murray, 1816
Signed: Signed by Author(s)