George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale (1788–1824) is one of the central writers of British Romanticism and his 'Byronic' hero - the charming, dashing, rebellious outsider - remains a literary archetype. But to what extent is this character a portrayal of the author himself? Byron was known for his extremely unconventional, eccentric character and his extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle: he had numerous scandalous love affairs, including a suspiciously close relationship with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. Lady Caroline Lamb, one of his lovers, famously described him as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. This two-volume work, compiled by his friend Thomas Moore, to whom Byron had given his manuscript memoirs (which he later burnt), was published in 1830. Volume 1 gives an account of Byron's early life, including his time as a star of the literary scene in London, and ends with his departure from the country in 1816.
