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First complete collection of Byron’s works in a luxury binding by the famous French binder Bauzonnet, with his signed receipt bound in and dated 1832: an uncommon example of Bauzonnet’s work before his succesful association with Georges Trautz. Antoine Bauzonnet (1795-1892) began his career working in Paris as a gilder for Jean-Georges Purgold and a apprentice to René Simier – two major French binders of their time. Around 1829, Bauzonnet took over Purgold’s workshop, and hired Georges Trautz in 1833, who later became his partner and in 1851, a head of the atelier after Bauzonnet retired. Francisque Cuzin and then Émile Mercier would be the subsequent binders of this workshop that ran until the Second World War.

After the first edition published in 1826, Galignani included here a new portrait of Byron, engraved by James Hopwood the Younger. They kept the fold-out facsimile of a letter from Byron to Galignani denying authorship of Polidori’s “Vampire”, and a detailed biography of the poet by J.W. Lake, whose ‘Life of Lord Byron’ was also published in a separate edition by Galignani in 1826.

This lovely production was printed by Jules Didot Senior (1794-1871), from the 4th generation of the famous family of French publishers. Famous for his invention of round-edged initials, Jules Didot took his printing presses to Brussels and founded the Royal Printing House there in 1825.