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[FIRST BOOK IN RUSSIAN ABOUT BYRON] Zapiski o lorde Bairone [i.e. Journal of the Conversations of Lord Byron]: [In 2 vols]

St. Petersburg: tip. N. Grecha, 1835. Item #89

Vol.1. [4], VIII, 197 pp., [1] front.; Vol.2. [4], 153 pp. 8vo. Lord Byron's portrait on the frontispiece. Two volumes in contemporary quarter-leather bindings, with gilt-lettering on spines. Labels on spines, some rubbings to covers, pre-revolutionary library stamps (Tallinn), foxing.

Rare, especially with the portrait.

This is the first edition of the work by Thomas Medwin which was noted during a residence with Byron at Pisa in 1821-1822. This is also a first book in Russian about Lord Byron.

Thomas Medwin (1788-1869), poet, Percy Shelley's cousin and close friend of Lord Byron. Published in late October 1824, Medwin’s Journal of the Conversations of Lord Byron was the first of the book-length memoirs to appear following Byron’s death in April.

The influence of Byron in Russia is difficult to underestimate. Almost all of the notable poets of the first half of XIX century were influenced by him; his books were translated during his lifetime and afterwards. Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was influenced by Byron. He was interested in reading this book as soon as it came out. He asked his brother to send him a copy to Mikhailovskoe in 1825 but the censor committee didn't allow the distribution of both the English and French versions of the text. The first Russian translation came out 10 years later and the same year Pushkin wrote an article On Byron and significant things presumably influenced by this book that was in his library (Modzalevsky.696).

WorldCat locates no copies in USA.

Price: $2,700.00