Hellas A Lyrical Drama

London: Charles and James Ollier, 1822. First Edition. Original stiff grey wrappers and paper label.. Good; some soiling to the wrappers; amateurish paper re-back; 4 pages carelessly opened; chipping to the lower edge of the fore-corner of the last 3 leaves; dustiness at the extreme edges.. 8vo, xi, [1 - blank], [2 - fly title], [3] - 60 pp.

Shelley's last published poem; written in 1821 while resident in Pisa, months before his death. It's theme is the Greek revolt for independence. It must be noted that these late manuscripts of Shelley were published without his oversight - since he was resident in Italy beginning in 1818. Variants from these published pieces to the now standard texts of the Crook edition (volume 7 of the projected 8 now published) no doubt occur; Shelley's papers were fragmented and in disarray at the time of his unexpected death. "For / Revenge and wrong bring forth their kind, / The foul cubs like their parents are, / Their den is in the guilty mind, / And conscience feeds them with despair." Granniss #74. See Pamela Clemit's article in the TLS, July 8, 2022, pp. 7-8.