This volume constitutes the first collected edition of Keats and the second collected works of Coleridge and Shelley. The Parisian publisher, Galignani, was famous for its pirated editions (Sir Walter Scott referred to the shop as the "old pirate's den") but the firm did have the cooperation of family members and literary friends of all three poets when assembling this volume. For example, each poet's work is preceded by a short life of the author, the memoir of Keats being produced by Leigh Hunt. Hunt also sent along some unpublished Keats poems in his possession to be included. Keats' literary executor, Charles Armitage Brown, disliked Hunt's portrayal of his friend, but Brown's own biography of Keats was not ready in time for this edition and was not published until 1937. The memoir of Shelley was written by his wife Mary Shelley who also helped the publication of this edition by allowing the publisher access to Shelley's papers.
