Lord Byron
A Political Ode. With the ALS by which the poem is attributed to Byron, 1812, 1880
London: John Pearson
The only copy printed in quarto, with original Byron ALS.
89
Further images
This the only copy printed in this size, as stated by the printer's signature at the half-title. Byron's ode, now represented by its proper title, 'An Ode to the Framers...
This the only copy printed in this size, as stated by the printer's signature at the half-title. Byron's ode, now represented by its proper title, "An Ode to the Framers of the Frame Bill," is understood as his most overtly political statement, and in fact the very document by which current scholars now argue for him as a real player in the political attitudes of his period. The uniqueness of the format, along with the penciled numerals on the sheets and the insertion of an engraved plate as frontispiece all suggest this as a printer's proof. The publisher has reprinted the text of the ALS, the discovery of which firmly established Byron as the poem's author, at the fourth sheet. The original ALS is also included; in it, Byron requests two alterations and assertively asks, "Of course do not put my name to the thing. - believe me." All sheets mounted with open-backed mats, save the ALS, which is tipped in. Sheets bound in full red morocco over boards with gilt ornamentation at covers, edges, spine, and dentelles. A survival critical to Byron scholarship and bibliography.