Books

London: Thomas Davison / John Hunt, 1820-24. Six volumes bound in three. Demy-octavos (16.5cm); contemporary full diced calf; bound including original title pages; half-titles and terminal leaves where called for. An attractive set in contemporary binding, sympathetically re-backed preserving the original endpapers as well as most of the original spines and spine labels. Early printed bookplate of John Colston to each front pastedown, with later inked ex-libris ("J. Hames") added beneath each printed portion. The full foolscap octavo edition of Don Juan, preceded in each case by quarto editions in the same year. Cantos I-II are from an early but not first printing, with 1820 date at base of title page but no statement of "New Edition" (as seems somewhat common, though this issue appears unmentioned by Wise). The remaining volumes are first printings. WISE II, p.3-8.

Don Juan is a long poem by Lord Byron, based on the legend of Don Juan, which Byron reverses, portraying Juan not as a womanizer but as someone easily seduced by women.