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Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824. DON JUAN. Printed by Thomas Davison, London, 1819.

Price: US$562.50 + shipping

Description: Octavo; 2 volumes; G; Hardcover; Spine, brown with gold print on black banner; Boards in tan leather with decorative gilt border, toning to spine, peripheral toning to rear of vol. 1, light wear to spine caps, hinges, edges, and corners, small surface tears, leather chipped at rear fore corner of vol. 2, else clean and strong; Text blocks have red-speckled edges and marbled endpapers, bookplate on front pastedown of each vol., penciled edition notes on front endpaper of vol. 1, slight occasional foxing, else clean and tight, each volume include multiple imprints, each with separate title page and page numbering; CONTENTS: [Vol. 1] Cantos I-II ("A New Edition"; Printed by Thomas Davison, London, 1819; 227 pages) ; Cantos III, IV, and V (Printed by Thomas Davison, London, 1821; 218 pages) ; Cantos VI, VII, and VIII (Printed for John Hunt, London, 1823; 184 pages) - [Vol. II.] Cantos IX, X, and XI (Printed for John Hunt, London, 1823; 151 pages) ; Cantos XII, XIII, and XIV (Printed for John Hunt, London, 1823; 168 pages) ; Cantos XV and XVI (Printed for John and H.L. Hunt, London, 1824); 129 pages). [Oversized book(s). Additional postage necessary for expedited/international orders. Economy International shipping unavailable due to size/weight restrictions. For international/expedited customers, please inquire for rates]. NOTE: Shelved in Locked Glass Case, Aisle 20 endcap. 1363809. FP New Rockville Stock.

Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.

Lord Byron. Don Juan. Thomas Davison; John Hunt 1819-1823, London, 1819.

Price: US$747.24 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Cantos I-XI of Lord Byron's famous epic poem, Don Juan, many of which are first edition. Four books in two volumes, containing cantos I-XI. Uniformly bound in full embossed calf with gilt detail. 'Don Juan' is Lord Byron's satirical epic poem and an important feat of Romantic poetry. The character of Don Juan is based on the legendary Spanish libertine figure, but unlike other folk tales, Byron portrays him as a man easily seduced by women, rather than a womanizer. Byron's poem is written in ottava rima across sixteen cantos. Upon the publication of the first cantos in 1819 the poem was criticized as immoral. This set comprising of: Cantos I and II, a new edition, published 1819. Cantos III, IV and V, the first edition, published in 1821. With the half title page. Cantos VI-VII-and VIII, the first edition, published in 1823. Cantos IX-X-and XI, the first edition, published 1823. A small ink inscription from the previous owner to the front blank of volume two, and a bookplate to the front paste-downs of both volumes. Lacking the publisher's advertisements. Uniformly bound in full calf. Externally, smart with some rubbing to the extremities. Marks to the boards and spine with some darkening to the spine. Cracks to the joints, but still firm. Hinges strained in volume one and starting in volume two, but both are still firm. Bookplate to the front paste-downs of both volumes. Light marks to the paste-downs and free endpapers. Light offsetting from the bookplate to the front free endpapers. Internally, firmly bound. Pages lightly age-toned but generally bright and clean. Scattered spots and handling marks throughout, slightly heavier in volume one. Small ink mark to the front blank of volume two. Very Good

Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom

Anon. [George Gordon Byron, Baron Byron].. Don Juan. [Cantos 1 & 2]. The scarce anonymous first edition in quarto of the first two cantos of Byron’s classic in period ¾ calf gilt.. London: Thomas Davison,, 1819.

Price: US$1500.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: First edition, first printing in 4to (9”x 6½”), pp. (4), (1-3), 4-227, (1) printer’s mark. Original three quarter gilt paneled polished calf & marbled boards, back in six compartments, gilt black calf lettering piece in the second, gilt corner & center ornaments in the rest, five gilt roll tooled raised bands, matching marbled edges & endpapers. Attractive clean bright calf gilt in very good+ condition with some rubbing & scuffs to the calf corners, calf & marbled paper covered sides otherwise clean & with little wear, corners bumped & tips showing, head-cap worn, back gilt bright. Sheets with occasional light foxing, unmarked, complete. $1500 The first edition of Cantos 1 & 2 (the present work) was published first & independently of Cantos 3-16 which appeared in several editions from 1821 to 1824. A later 8vo edition of Cantos 1 & 2 was published in 1819 & an edition with “New Edition” on the title page was also published later in 1819. CBEL III, 197. Coleridge p. 209. H8096

Seller: J & J House Booksellers, ABAA, Kennett Square, PA, U.S.A.

BYRON, George Noel Gordon, Baron.. Don Juan. (Cantos I & II). Thomas Davison. 1819, 1819.

Price: US$1715.40 + shipping

Description: FIRST EDITION. 4to. Half title; the odd spot. Later half calf, marbled boards, raised bands, spine dec. in gilt, black morocco label; extremities sl. rubbed, rear hinge starting but sound, tail of spine chipped. Armorial bookplate of William Arthur, sixth Duke of Portland on leading pastedown. A good-plus copy. Randolph p.69; Wise II.4.

Seller: Jarndyce, The 19th Century Booksellers, London, United Kingdom

BYRON, George Noel Gordon, Baron.. Don Juan. (Cantos I & II) FIRST OCTAVO EDITION. (Cantos III-XVI). Printed by Thomas Davison; John Hunt. 1819-1824, 1819.

Price: US$6432.75 + shipping

Description: FIRST EDITION. 6 vols. Half titles in first two vols, others issued without. (Cantos VI-VIII) 2pp ads; (Cantos IX-XI) 4pp ads; (Cantos XII-XIV) lacking following f.e.p.; (Cantos XV-XVI) erratum leaf tipped in, 2pp ads, faint ink ownership inscription to corner of front board. Vol. 1 bound in navy crushed morocco, panelled in blind, spine dec. & lettered in gilt, vols 2-6 all in orig. boards with paper labels; vol. 2 (Cantos III-V) sympathetically rebacked, preserving label, vols 2-6 sl. rubbed, spines a bit worn & chipped but overall nice copies. Vols 2 & 3, 4-6, housed in custom made blue morocco slipcases that match the first volume's binding. With the armorial bookplates of Oliver Nowell Chadwyck-Healey on leading pastedowns, with small catalogue descriptions tipped in to leading e.ps. A well-preserved complete set of Byron's epic satire. Don Juan complete in six separately published volumes. (Cantos I & II) Wise II p.4; (Cantos III-V) p.4; (Cantos VI-VIII) p.5; (Cantos IX-XI) p.6; (Cantos XII-XIV) pp6-7; (Cantos XV-XVI) pp7-8. Though Don Juan was criticised for its scandalous content, it was immediately popular and drew praise from many great literary minds including Walter Scott, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Algernon Charles Swinburn.

Seller: Jarndyce, The 19th Century Booksellers, London, United Kingdom

BYRON, George Gordon, Lord. Don Juan. Printed by Thomas Davison, London, 1819.

Price: US$8000.00 + shipping

Description: London: Printed by Thomas Davison, 1819-1821; Printed for John Hunt, 1823; Printed for John and H.L. Hunt, 1824. First editions, complete in six volumes (Cantos I and II in one large-paper quarto volume: 10 3/4 x 8 inches; 272 x 204 mm; Cantos III-XVI in five octavo volumes: 8 1/8 x 5 1/8 inches; 207 x 129 mm). [4], 227, [1, printer's imprint]; [4], 218, [1, blank], [1, printer's imprint]; vii, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank], 184, [2, ads ("Publications by John Hunt," dated July, 1823)]; 151, [1, printer's imprint]; 168; 129, [1, publisher's imprint], [2, ads ("Published by John and H. L. Hunt," dated March, 1824)] pp. With the half-titles in volumes I and II (no half-titles called for in the last four volumes) and errata slip in volume VI. Bound without publisher's ads in volume IV and one of two ads in volume VI. Uniformly bound by Zaehnsdorf in full navy polished calf. All volumes rebacked, preserving original spines and labels. Boards triple ruled in gilt. Spines stamped and ruled in gilt. Each spine with two red morocco labels. Gilt dentelles. Board edges gilt. All edges gilt. Silk placeholders. Marbled endpapers. Some chipping to labels of volume I, II, IV. boards with some light rubbing. Some cccasional light foxing, as usual. Otherwise, an excellent and attractive set. Don Juan, Byron's unfinished epic satire in ottava rima, was published in sixteen cantos between 1819 and 1824. "Don Juan, a young gentleman of Seville, is sent abroad by his mother at the age of 16, in disgrace after an intrigue. His ship is wrecked and the passengers take to the long-boat. After many tribulations, in the course of which first Juan's spaniel and then his tutor are eaten by the crew, Juan is cast up on a Greek island. He is restored to life by Haidée, the daughter of a Greek pirate, and the pair fall in love. The father, who is supposed dead, returns, finds the lovers together, and captures the fighting Juan, who is put in chains on one of the pirate's ships. He is then sold as a slave in Constantinople to a sultana who has fallen in love with him. He arouses her jealousy and is threathened with death, but escapes to the Russian army, which is besieging Ismail. Because of his gallant conduct he is sent with dispatches to St Petersburg, where he attracts the favour of the Empress Catherine, who sends him on a political mission to England. The last cantos (the ‘English cantos') of the unfinished work are taken up with a satirical description of social conditions in England and with the love affairs of Juan.Don Juan himself is a charming, handsome young man, who delights in succumbing to the beautiful women he meets, but his character is little more than the connecting thread in a long social comedy, a poetical novel, of satirical fervour and wit. The first two cantos were ill-received by the critics, who called them ‘an insult and an outrage' and ‘a filthy and impious poem', but the work became increasingly successful with the general public and was much admired by Goethe, who translated a part of it" (The Oxford Companion to English Literature). Ashley Library I, pp. 157-159. Tinker 571. Wise, Byron, II, pp. 3-8. HBS 68418. $8,000.

Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.

Byron, George Gordon Noel. [Lord Byron]. Don Juan.. Thomas Davison [i.e., John Murray] 1819-1821 (Cantos I-V, Volumes I-II)/John Hunt, 1823-24 (Cantos VI-XVI, Volumes III-VI), London, 1819.

Price: US$15000.00 + shipping

Description: Scarce complete first edition set of Byron's great work which was widely criticized as immoral upon publication and is now considered one of the greatest poems of the Romantics; from the library of American writer Erica Jong. Volume one was produced in quarto format and the subsequent 5 volumes in octavo (Davison abandoned the quarto format after disappointing sales of the first volume), six volumes uniformly bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With an autograph letter signed by Lady Byron bound into the first volume. Written from Moore Place, Esher, the letter reads in part, "Dear Sir, I am much obliged to you for offering to look for another young Teacher in place of the one who is engaged, but I have no difficulty in finding a Substitute. I should however be glad if you could find me an older master for a situation in Warwickshire - to manage a day-school on the Garden plan for Bogs - the emolument would not exceed 20 to 24 [pounds] with Board - He would be under the direction of a very good Clergyman - A single man would be preferred, there being no room at the Schoolhouse for him - she must lodge at some distance. Lady Olivia Sparrow is still active in her charitable undertakings, though I sometimes wish they were less governed by hasty feelings in religious matters. Yours truly A.I. Noel Byron Moore Place Esher Nov 19th." From the library of Erica Jong. Jong remains best known for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying which became famously controversial for its portrayal of female sexuality and figured prominently in the development of second-wave feminism. Written in the first person and narrated by its protagonist, 29-year-old American poet Isadora Wing, Fear of Flying was written in the throes of the Sexual Revolution of the 1970s and encapsulated the movement’s redefinition of female sexuality. In interviews, Jong stated: “At the time I wrote Fear of Flying, there was not a book that said women are romantic, women are intellectual, women are sexualâ€"and brought all those things together… What [Isadora is] looking for is how to be a whole human being, a body and a mind, and that is what women were newly aware they needed in 1973.” The novel remains a feminist classic and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Jong notable used a quotation fromÂDonÂJuan as the epigraph in Fear of Flying, "Alas! the love of women! it is known To be a lovely and a fearful thing; For all of theirs upon that die is thrown, And if 'tis lost, life hath no more to bring To them but mockeries of the past alone, And their revenge is as the tiger's spring, Deadly, and quick, and crushing; yet, as real Torture is theirs -- what they inflict they feel. They are right; for man, to man so oft unjust, Is always so to women; one sole bond Awaits them -- treachery is all their trust; Taught to conceal, their bursting hearts despond Over their idol, till some wealthier lust Buys them in marriage -- and what rests beyond A thankless husband -- next, a faithless lover -- Then dressing, nursing, praying -- and all's over. Some take a lover, some take drams or prayers, Some mind their household, others dissipation, Some run away, and but exchange their cares, Losing the advantage of a virtuous station; Few changes e'er can better their affairs, Theirs being an unnatural situation, From the dull palace to the dirty hovel: Some play the devil, and then write a novel" (Lord Byron, Don Juan, 1824). In fine condition. Scarce and with fine provenance. "The War and Peace of English poetry, Don Juan contains an epic sweep that moves from Spain, to the East, and to Russia before ending in England… At the same time that Byron's broad canvas foretells the scope of the great 19th-century novels, the poet's own sensibilities echo the picaresque 18th-century novels of his early reading, Smollett and Fielding, with their bawdy humor and sly inversions of vice and virtue. Unlike these prose narratives, however, Don Juan has no beginning, middle, or end. It draws us in, not to learn 'what happens next' but to hear what this seductive, confidential, teasing voice is going to tell us" (Eisler, 610). When Cantos I through V appeared, they did so without the name of either author or publisher on the title page. Publisher John Murray refused to print Byron's dedicatory poem, which ridiculed English poet laureate Robert Southey, and Byron refused to put his name on a censored publication. Because of Byron's change from his long-standing publisher Murray to John Hunt (brother of writer Leigh Hunt) midway through Don Juan, complete first-edition copies with all cantos are scarce.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.