gotta love a big ol' tome like that.
that said, i offer this not as a criticism, but as something that took me a while to learn. become very critical about condition. condition of the Byron is actually a little tougher than "nice shape". still buy it, sure, but resist the temptation to upsell the condition to yourself.
an admission: when i was starting out, i tended to overlook or downplay damage and problems with a book (lots of spotting, wear, damaged to he spine) because I was momentarily excited about it and wanted to buy something. anything. and this book (insert-any-book-here) was it. it had gold, was old, looked cool, and my god it was affordable.
i don't say this to diminish anyone's collecting. i'm simply trying to relate how the wider group of dealers and collectors (whether it's right or wrong) are looking at these things. it's good to have a frank understanding of how brutal and unflinching the sea is in which these books swim. generally, the marketplace doesn't allow any get-out-of-jail-cards or caveats w/r/t book condition.
and frankly, it can be a damn buzzkill. i know a dealer/acquaintance who always turns his nose up at ANYTHING you show him. he'll often reply with a photo of something from his collection, and tell you imply how much better/rare/finer it is. so i trip over myself trying not to be a buzzkill, just relating stuff i wish i'd learned earlier.
all of which means, each person should keep buying the stuff they like and which makes them happy, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. but simply be mindful of the clinical take on what you collect, so that you don't talk yourself into making purchases that ultimately take away from your bigger picture. if we talk ourselves into buying things which may be a liability, we have less money for stuff which is a true asset.
phrases you'll never see in a legit dealer's catalog:
"pretty good"
"decent shape"
"....for its age"
"not bad", etc.
some dealers of course err on the side of over-reporting. i looked at a book for maybe five years before buying it. the dealer mentioned the hinge had the barest start of cracking. when i finally sucked it up and traded for the book, and received it, i couldn't find any damn crack. and i'm a friggin hard-o now re: condition.
...and, yes, i still have all the stuff i bought which is in pretty tough condition. hahaha we all have them. they will probably remain among my favorite books, but purely because they're mementos of the early first flush.
rule #1 is still "enjoy yourself", after all.