Details

Title

The Life Letters and Journals of Lord Byron

Author

Byron, Lord [George Gordon Byron]
Moore, Thomas

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

John Murray

Copyright Date

1830 Show more1830-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
1830-01-01T00:00:00.000Z Show less

Date of Publication

1830 Show more1830-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
1830-01-01T00:00:00.000Z Show less
1908 Show more1908-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
1908-01-01T00:00:00.000Z Show less

Collection

Scans provided by and used with permission of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library. From the L.M. Montgomery Collection.

Note

Montgomery's copy of "The Life Letters and Journals of Lord Byron" includes one pasted-in image of the book's editor, Thomas Moore, who was a poet and writer in his own right (he wrote the poem "The Last Rose of Summer'). Interesting, too, is that Montgomery inscribed the book "L.M. Montgomery Macdonald 1920," even though this copy of the book itself was published in 1908. Perhaps she purchased it used, or perhaps she inscribed it long after purchase, when she was rearranging books or reading it through again. Montgomery, of course, read Byron's works multiple times. She quotes (and misquotes) his works in her journals over and over throughout the years, and various lines from his "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" come up frequently. The two volumes of Moore's work were first published in 1830 and 1831. They consist, as the title suggests, of letters, journal entries, and other material, but they are not a true memoir. In fact, before his death in 1824, Byron had entrusted the manuscript of his actual memoirs to Moore. Through a series of unfortunate events--the opinions of a publisher, a duel, and input from Byron's wife--the manuscript was destroyed. Whether Moore was to blame for their destruction was a matter of much debate.

Genre

biography