The Works: With his Letters and Journals, and his Life, by Thomas Moore.

London: John Murray,, 1833. The edition that "dominated Byron studies" An attractively bound set of "the great early edition of the prose and poetry edited by Thomas Moore and John Wright. The new edition, which dominated Byron studies for more than fifty years, provoked and underwrote a series of key scholarly works" (ODNB). The Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852), embarrassed that Byron had commented in print upon his duel challenge to the critic Francis Jeffrey, subsequently challenged Byron. "Fortunately Byron was touring the eastern Mediterranean, and was unaware of Moore's anger. Both challenges, as it happens, led to warm and lasting friendships, remarkable evidence of the charm and good nature of the Irish poet" (ibid.) Moore later became the dedicatee of The Corsair (1814) and Byron's literary executor. "It was William and Edward Finden's illustrations to Byron that substantially enhanced the status of their work. Following his death in Greece in 1824, their engravings sensitively conveyed to a wide contemporary audience images of Byron's life and work" (ODNB). The Letters and Journals section was first published in two quarto volumes in 1830. The Works was initially advertised as comprising 14 volumes, and printing ran from 1832 to 1833; all the present volumes are dated 1833 and advertise 17 volumes on the title pages. 17 volumes, octavo (162 x 99 mm). Contemporary green straight-grain morocco, spines lettered and decorated with floral tooling in gilt, rules and floral roll on covers, board edges and turn-ins gilt, blue silk moiré-patterned endpapers, edges gilt. With 17 steel-engraved frontispieces and vignette title pages, some with tissue guards, engraved plate in vol. VI, all by William and Edward Francis Finden after various artists, and 2 folding manuscript facsimiles. All volumes with half-titles except vols. I, VII, and IX. Prelims with ownership signature of Cherry Roma Anne Jackson (1854-1930), Ahanesk, Co. Cork. Spines uniformly lightly sunned, bindings square and firm, slight oxidization to plates, contents clean. A very good set indeed.