Florante and Laura ... Translated into English from the Spanish version of Epifanio de los Santos by George St. Clair Carefully compared to the Tagalog original by Fernando Villarosa

The author's copy of the first edition of his translation into English of key work of the literature of the Philippines written in Tagalog. George St. Clair (identified on the title page as "Professor of English - University of the Philippines") had inscribed this copy in the top margin of the title page: "My own copy / St. C." -- and then crossed this out, and heavily marked and revised this copy as the setting copy for a second edition. [That second edition was published in 1927 under the title "Florante and Laura, a narrative poem. (Manila, Philippine Education Co., 1927) 58 pp.-- noted on that title page as "2nd rev. ed."] The original author was born as Francisco Balagtas in Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan on April 2, 1788, the son of a blacksmith. In 1799, he went to Tondo, Manila to work as a houseboy for his aunt, Doña Trinidad. She was impressed by his literary talent and sent him to school. Balagtas moved to Pandacan, Manila in 1835 where he met Maria Asuncion Rivera, who would become his muse.