Editorial

In this issue we pay tribute to Andrew Nicholson, who died on 31 October 2009. The loss of Andrew is a profound one both for Byron Studies and for many individual Byronists. Thank you to everyone who contributed to Professor Webb's compilation of memories. In the second issue for 2010, we will also be publishing an essay that Andrew intended for the journal and was working on when he died.

In this issue, we have an international group of essay contributors taking on a diverse range of topics. We have an essay from Italy on the theatrical charisma of the Byronic Hero and a piece on 'She Walks in Beauty' from America. We have a reconsideration of Byron's sexuality from Cambridge and an essay from India on three Byronic travellers in Albania (which began life as one of the papers given at last year's Byron conference in Tirana). Finally, we have an analysis (from Bristol) of new Byron note (from Iowa).

Accounts of three conferences follow, including a detailed report from the 2009 International Byron Society Conference in Athens and Messolonghi. Then we have three letters to the Editor (a welcome development, and the journal warmly invites more letters like these) followed by a very full reviews section.

This issue also sees the return of a much-missed feature of the journal, its regular report detailing recent Byron-related activity in auction houses and among booksellers. For a number of years Derek Wise wrote this article, but he retired some time ago. Alex Alec-Smith has now kindly taken on the job and we hope to include a 'Report from the Salerooms' in the journal annually.

We close this issue with reports from the Byron Society, the Australian Byron Society, the Dutch Byron Society, the Irish Byron Society and the Scottish Byron Society giving accounts of their activities over the past year, and the usual list of Society and Corresponding Member addresses. As always, please let me know if anything in this list is out of date and I will make sure it is updated in future issues.