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Renowned and passionate Byronist, Geoffrey Bond, takes us behind the closed doors of his beautiful home of Burgage Manor – formerly the home of the great Romantic poet Lord Byron. This new book explains the very important fact that Byrons first four books of poems, were printed in Newark 1806/7 and mostly written while he was at Burgage Manor. Southwell and Burgage Manor can be said to be where the genesis of his poetry took place. Byron lived in Burgage Manor 1803/8 when he was at Harrow School and Trinity College Cambridge, he was a Ward of Chancery, his father having died when Byron was very young and he was not allowed to go and live at Newstead until he was 21. From his early days in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, Byron went on to become one of the most famous men in the world and his cultural influence has resonated ever since. Illustrated with some stunning new images, this book is a must for anyone who knows Byron well or would like to get to know him better.

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Byron and His Portraits
‘Don’t look at him. He is dangerous to look at,’ said Lady Liddell to her daughter in 1817. Handsome, charismatic, aristocratic and allegedly ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, Lord Byron (1788-1824) is one of the most captivating and recognisable figures of the Romantic Age. His face, figure and appearance added greatly to the appeal of his poetry and the close association of the man with his poetic creations encouraged a wide range of artists to create portraits during his lifetime and to memorialise him after his heroic death in Greece. This book explores Byron’s life through the intriguing stories behind these images and for the first time reproduces in colour all the key paintings, miniatures, sculptures, drawings and sketches, with a selection of prints, cartoons, engravings and other representations. It uses Byron’s own wit with words to recount his attempts to manage his own image through the way he was presented in his portraits, as well as through fashion, weight control and the disguise of his lameness.

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From Bulldogs to Boatswain and Beyond
Byron. The very name conjures up an image of reckless romance, scandal, adventure, wild emotions, foreign lands, poetry and glamour. But dogs? It is not widely known that man’s best friend held a precious place in Byron’s affections. This book by renowned Byron enthusiast, Geoffrey Bond, sheds new light on the poet’s canine love affairs: from bulldogs to Boatswain and beyond. There are Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, Terriers, Greyhounds, and even a Poodle! Fabulously illustrated throughout, this book also features a colourful condensed biography of the poet.

Byron’s Manor Endorsements

I have always adored Lord Bryon. Both for his great glamour and his glorious poetry. I was therefore blown away by ‘Byron’s Manor’ Geoffrey Bond’s utterly fascinating account of Byron’s early years, and how they influenced his later life as he became one of the most famous men in the world. ln addition, Byron had endless lust affairs and a four poster bed with four mattresses to make him bouncier. But while naughty, he was capable of great heroism, particularly when abroad and defending his beloved lsles of Greece. So please read and relish Geoffrey Bond’s marvellous book, ‘Byron’s Manor’ which is indeed manna from Heaven.
Dame Jilly Cooper DBE, renowned English romance author

A beguilingly personal and lavishly illustrated addition to the celebrations of Byron’s bi-centenary, Geoffrey Bond’s enjoyable book makes a persuasive case for Southwell’s Burgage Manor as having been the home in which much of Byron’s earliest poetry was written.
Miranda Seymour, novelist and literary critic

Geoffrey Bond knows better than anyone else what it is like to live with Lord Byron. This absorbing and beautifully illustrated book brings together his and Byron’s lives and thoughts in the fascinating context of the fine manor house they have both delighted in.
Dr Christine Kenyon-Jones, author and research fellow, King’s College London

In this book Geoffrey Bond gives a very personal approach to Byron, discovering new insights into his Southwell period. A rewarding read and lavishly illustrated.
E Richard A. Cardwell, Emeritus Professor of Hispanic Studies, University of Nottingham

Handsome, heartfelt, entertaining, and edifying, Byron’s Manor views the poet’s Southwell house from the unique perspective of someone who’s lived where young Byron lived, slept where young Byron slept, written where young Byron wrote. Geoffrey Bond’s beautiful monograph is a remarkable homage to Byron – a distinctive contribution to local history – and a labour of love in the truest sense of the phrase.
Peter Graham, Emeritus Professor of English, Virginia Tech

An original book packed with new information about little known parts of Byron’s life, written with verve and knowledge, and worth buying just for the marvellous collection of pictures.
Dr Bernard Beatty, University of Liverpool

Geoffrey Bond is well known not only for his collection of Byron material but also for his previous works on Byron – notably on his portraits and his dogs. To those privileged to know him personally he is also a generous host at his home in Burgage Manor, the subject of his handsomely illustrated book – Byron’s Manor – which really increases our ‘feel’ for Southwell and our understanding of these crucial early years.
Professor Sir Drummond Bone, formerly Master of Balliol College, Oxford

An informative, insightful and entertaining new look at the great poet by one of the most passionate and scholarly Byronists.
Sir Loyd Grossman, CBE, author and broadcaster

Bernard Beatty has truly said that ‘To understand Byron you have to read his poetry.’ That is the understanding of experience, personal and intimate. We experience that commitment to understand when we read what readers report back to us. I can truly say that no book about Byron has given me a more clear impression of that intimate and personal experience than this rich, modest, and brilliantly designed book. Byron’s Manor, Byron’s manner, Geoffrey Bond’s.
Professor Jerome McGann, Emeritus University, University of Virginia

Other Endorsements

Original and revealing.
Sir Loyd Grossman, Writer & Broadcaster

A splendid book, a great addition to works dedicated to dogs.
Brian Sewell, Art Critic, The Evening Standard

I am delighted to have a copy of this handsome book.
Sir Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate 1999 – 2009

A gorgeously produced book – a resounding triumph.
Jack Wasserman, Antiquarian Book Collector, New York

Beautifully produced – I have not seen the illustrated Elizabeth Pigot book before.
Robin Byron, 13th Lord (the poet was the 6th)

A sensationally well-produced book – it must be the handsomest book on Byron ever published.
Dr Peter Cochran, Academic, Cambridge

A splendid book, extremely knowledgeable and handsome; something for me and other Byronists to treasure.
Dr Christine Kenyon Jones, Kings College, University of London

A substantial and beautiful book of enviable and exquisite standards that all other authors and publishers must look on in dumb admiration. I have seen so much in it that I haven’t seen before.
David McClay, Director, John Murray Archives, National Library of Scotland

Beautifully illustrated, impeccably and thoroughly researched, eminently readable, this book fills a notable gap in Byron studies as much as shedding new light on the poet himself.
Richard A. Cardwell, Professor of Modern Spanish Literatures & History, University of Nottingham

No man who loves dogs can be entirely mad, bad and dangerous to know, and Byron and his friends have been memorialised splendidly – as faithfully as a Newfoundland, perhaps!
Huon Mallalieu, Journalist