© 2026 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support local news and essential programs and you could win a trip to Ireland.

'The Corsair,' Lord Byron's Best-Seller

This portrait of George Gordon, Lord Byron, was painted by Thomas Phillips in 1814, the year "The Corsair" was published.
This portrait of George Gordon, Lord Byron, was painted by Thomas Phillips in 1814, the year "The Corsair" was published.

This week in 1814, the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, made publishing history. His poem "The Corsair" sold out its entire first run, all 10,000 copies, in London in one day.

"The Corsair" is the tale of a pirate captain willing to risk the love of his life to save a slave in a Turkish harem.

Steven Jones, a Byron scholar who teaches at Chicago's Loyola University, discusses the great work.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.