[Byron, George Gordon Noel, Lord]

4to (10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.; 263 x 210 mm).  8pp, bound in an imperfect copy of Cantos I-II of Childe Harold (first edition, 1812).  Contemporary olive-green straight-grained morocco, covers decorated in blind and gilt, edges gilt, pink silk doublures and endpapers; worn, inner stitching broken.  Half brown morocco gilt clamshell case.

Dorothea Oakes (presentation inscription from "Mr. Young," 1864?)

Wise I, pp. xx xxiii, and II, pp. xxx-xxxi

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition. The second copy known of a celebrated, if somewhat controversial, Byron rarity, and the only example to survive in its intended surroundings. When the first two cantos of Childe Harold were being printed, Byron decided to include in the volume, as a supplement, a series of lyrical poems, and these were duly placed at the end, preceded by a fly-title ("Poems"), on pp. (165)-200; the volume then concludes with an appendix of material to the title-poem (pp. 201-226), followed by a leaf of advertisement. Two additional poems, "Euthanasia" and "Stanzas," were at the last moment surpressed, only to be restored, along with four further poems, in the second edition of Childe Harold, an octavo, printed later in 1812.

The other known copy of "Euthanasia" is in the William Andrews Clark Library in Los Angeles. No other example of these eight pages has ever been found, but a single example of the same pages in uncorrected proof state does survive, at the Huntington Library. The fact that the pages in question are numbered 1 to 8 suggest that a small number of copies of "Euthanasia" and "Stanzas" were in fact printed in final form, and that at least two of them were bound up with copies of Childe Harold.

Whether or not "Euthanasia" qualifies as an editio princeps is a matter of semantics. The fact that the four leaves are separately paginated strongly argues for some sort of independent status. In this instance, the leaves are in fine condition; the volume as a whole is rather worn and partly broken, with several leaves of Childe Harold missing at the end, and a number of others a bit frayed, or loose. In this context, however, the first printing of "Euthanasia" is an object of great interest.