Shelley's Ghost

As an adult Shelley was estranged from his family, borrowed money against what was left of his inheritance, and was frequently short of cash. The fine quality of this soft leather glove, however, and of other relics displayed here, shows that he nevertheless possessed the accoutrements of a gentleman. He also exhibited an aristocratic disdain for tradesmens’ bills, and many of his possessions, including an expensive carriage and a house-full of furniture, were never paid for.

Percy Bysshe Shelley; ‘found in a book’; Lady Shelley; (bequest, 1899) John C.E. Shelley (later Sir John Shelley-Rolls); (bequest, 1961) Bodleian.

R. Glyn Grylls in The Listener, 28 July 1949, p. 154.

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