Lalla Rookh: An Oriental Romance
Dublin-born poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) shrugged off Francis Jeffrey's claim that he was 'the most licentious of modern versifiers' with a duel. Gaining a solid social reputation with his Irish Melodies (1808-34), he also embarked on an oriental romance, Lalla Rookh (1817), for which the publisher Longman paid him £3000. Moore then went on to write biographies on Sheridan (1825) and Lord Byron (1830), and then a History of Ireland (1835-46), which highlighted the cultural achievements of the Irish. The second edition of Lalla Rookh is on display.