The purpose of this edition, compiled in the 1920s, is to provide a selection of Byron's critical and satiric poetry that will illustrate fairly fully the objects of his scorn and of his admiration, as well as the evolution of his satiric style. English Bards and Scotch Reviewers and The Vision of Judgement are printed in full. The selections from Childe Harold are limited to such parts of the poem as can be described as critical; they are those in which he expresses opinions on literature or politics. Both here and in the selections from Don Juan some narrative elements are perforce not illustrated, but it is hoped, nevertheless, that enough is here given to suggest the character of the poems and to whet the appetite for more.
