‘The Choice Society of All Ages’: The Shelleys’ Books at Keats-Shelley House

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article examines Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s copies of the works of four canonical poets that are held at Keats-Shelley House, Rome, and the existence of which is largely unknown. They include Shelley’s fabled Grenville Homer as well as a collection of the works of Horace, Lucan’s Pharsalia, and Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso. For each book I identify the edition, provide a physical description, and transcribe and discuss any inscriptions, markings, and annotations. On the basis of internal as well as external evidence, I argue that the Shelleys had these books with them in Italy at the time of their exile, and I illustrate their engagement with the texts and their collaboration as readers and language learners. In my conclusion, I suggest that the study of extant books from the Shelleys’ personal library can enrich our knowledge of their life and work, and contribute to our understanding of the nature of their intellectual partnership.