Premise: A family heirloom in Greece turns out to be a copy of the presumed-burned memoirs, which Byron was still working on at the time of his death. While the first manuscript, in Moore's hands, will, B thinks, be published, his later expansion of the memoirs is intended for Augusta's eyes alone. Supposedly in B's voice, it's much more explicit than the punning, allusive, witty Byron would ever have been. I'm always surprised by the number of authors who are willing to take on the insurmountable challenge of ventriloquising his singular, inimitable voice. And while B was an intensely carnal being and undoubtedly led by his "cocker," this is all pretty one-dimensional. Published in 1978--a good indication of its inclinations and preoccupations as B "biography." ( )