Don Juan, cantos X, XI, XII, and XVII manuscript

This 1993 volume serves as a scholarly facsimile edition of the original handwritten manuscripts for cantos X, XI, XII, and XVII of Lord Byron’s epic satirical poem, Don Juan. Published by Garland Publishing, the work was produced to provide researchers and literary historians with direct access to the poet's creative process, capturing his corrections, marginalia, and the fluid nature of his composition style that defined his late Romantic period.

Byron began Don Juan in 1818, intending to subvert the traditional romanticized hero figure by placing his protagonist in a series of scandalous and worldly adventures. The manuscript pages included here reflect a time when Byron’s reputation was at its peak of notoriety, showing the rapid, often frantic pace of his handwriting. This edition was meticulously prepared to preserve the integrity of the surviving drafts, offering a window into the evolution of Byron’s voice as he balanced biting social criticism with his characteristic wit.