Songs of Innocence and Experience

by William Blake (Author)

27 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1619492998

ISBN-10: 1619492997

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This celebrated collection of poetry by Blake himself is notable for shaping many romantic notions of innocence and its corruption by experience. Echoing Milton s cerebral treatment of Paradise and the Fall as states of mind, The Songs of Innocence and of Experience explores the existential dimensions of childhood naïveté and adult wisdom. Notable for criticizing the corruptions of the church, the state, and the aristocracy, these poems remain thoughtful reflections on youth, perception, and the iniquities of society.

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Product Details

Paperback: 54 pages
Publisher: Blake Press (August 31, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1619492997
ISBN-13: 978-1619492998
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,289,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18297 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature
- #24916 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		63%
4 star		30%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		7%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

Great Edition of Blake

By Oddsfish VINE VOICE on May 9, 2001

Format: Paperback

I was recently lucky to see the Gutenburg to Gone With the Wind Exhibit in Austin, Texas recently. At that marvelous exhibit I got to see one of Blake's original editions of Songs of Innocence. After that, I (of course) had to find a copy with the amazing poems and the amazing artwork by Blake. This edition satisfied both criteria well. First of all, the poems are brilliant. Everybody has read such works as "Little Boy Lost," "Little Boy Found," "The Shepherd," "The Lamb," and "The Tyger." These poems are just as good as they are made out to be. Each poem is excrutiatingly simple (in the style of children's verse), and each has such depth. The artwork is all in this edition, too, and it is fabulous. The colors are exactly like those of Blake's. I really think that the poems should never be read without Blake's engravings. This is a marvelous book for poetry lovers to own. It is high quality and affordable. Any fan of Blake's should own this book.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

This book is not the book the other reviewers are talking about

By Soski on June 1, 2012

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Other Amazon users may be familiar with the Amazon.com practice of posting the Editorial reviews from a SIMILAR product and adding marginal and easy-to-overlook footnotes stating that the posted reviews actually refer to an "alternate paperback edition." I was not aware of the practice before purchasing this book, but aside from that there is no twin footnote floating around the Customer Reviews section below the Editorials to tell you that the reviews provided are from a different book as well, nor can you see what book is ACTUALLY being reviewed unless you leave the book's page and go to See All. Most of the reviews are for this book:

Songs of Innocence and Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul, 1789-1794 (Worlds Classics) [Paperback] William Blake (Author, Illustrator), Sir Geoffrey Keynes (Introduction) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192810898/ref=dp_proddesc_2?ie=UTF8&n=283155

Why post reviews of a book that the reviews are not for, on its own page? That is not only confusing, but misleading. The book I bought and received is the one with a portrait of Blake on the cover, and its ISBN is 97816119492998--which is not the ISBN posted in Amazon.com's Product Details section, as of June 1, 2012. Amazon lists it as xxxxxxxxxx2997.

There are NO illustrations in this edition. In fact, there isn't any publisher information beyond "Printed in the USA" on the bottom of the first page after the cover. I have not read this book, and am not familiar enough with Blake's work to be able to determine off the cuff if there are any errors or typos. I am assuming that if you only want the poetry of Songs of Innocence and Experience, than it is probably fine--and yes, most likely free of errors/typos.Read more ›

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

The Oxford Paperbacks edition is superb

By Christopher Culver TOP 1000 REVIEWER on November 3, 2003

Format: Paperback

There are larger, more luxurious graphical editions of Blake's two most popular works but the Oxford SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE is perhaps the most affordable and convenient.
After a short introductory piece which makes the reader expect a pastoral mood, SONGS OF INNOCENCE opens with "The Shepherd", and the reader is immediately acquainted with Blake's style: deceptively simple, but filled with metaphor and allusion. Many of the poems speak of the solace of Christianity, but Blake shows a more universal and tolerant tranquility found through appreciation of simple human virtues. In "The Divine Image", he writes: "And all must love the human form, / in heathen, turk, or jew. / Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell, / there God is dwelling too."
Even within SONGS OF EXPERIENCE, the most pessimistic and cynical half, Blake maintains a his childlike style in order to bring the truth of human experience to anyone at all, young and old. In "A Poison Tree" he writes: "I was angry with my friend: / I told my wrath, my wrath did end. / I was angry with my foe: / I told it not, my wrath did grow", concisely summarising the effects of pride and ill-will on one's soul.
Blake was by profession an engraver, and his engravings for SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE are so closely bound to the text of the poems that a photocopy edition is really the only way to enjoy the poems as they were meant. In this paperback edition, the original engraving can be seen along side a typeset text, presented in a size large enough that the words can be relatively easily made out and, perhaps more importantly, the reader can see Blake's mythological characters.Read more ›

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Beautiful imagery and meaning

By A Customer on April 15, 1999

Format: Paperback

While most people remember Blake for "Tyger, tyger, burning bright" and "Little Lamb, who made thee?" his other poems are wonderful as well. The point of the poems doesn't seem to be that aging brings experience, but that experience changes innocence, to some degree. For instance, the Chimney Sweep is about children who work as chimney sweeps but dream of heaven. Many of the poems have symbolic and religious meanings. The imagery is beautiful and poignant. I recommend Blake's poems to people who appreciate meaning and depth in poetry.

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Five Stars

awesome

Published 6 months ago by Waldemar Napiwotzki

Five Stars

Received on time and as described.

Published 7 months ago by Joseph

Five Stars

yes. thank you. in time to use at school

Published 8 months ago by Barbara Behrens

why are you selling such a terribly quality item

Why is this even for sale? You can barely read the poems, the images are blurred, the print is the poorest quality. Amazon, why are you selling such a terribly quality item? Read more

Published 11 months ago by Susan

It's Blake.....need I say more?

A review of this would be silly

It's a must have for everyone's collection - Make sure to add it to yours.

Published 14 months ago by Windknot

My first Blake Book

I don't even remembering buying this here!
Had to read this for a college course; simply put I fell a bit in love with William Blake thanks to it.

Published 16 months ago by Amee

Magnificent! Great gift!

Mystic, visionary, artist, genius, craftsman, poet, social reformer, humanitarian -- all of these words and more have been used but do not adequately describe William Blake. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Timothy R. O'Hanlon

Purchased as a gift (She loved it)

Bought this as a present. The recipient loved it. I was really hoping for one which had all of the original illustrations (well, reproductions of), and this one lived up to that... Read more

Published 24 months ago by Felonius

Beautiful Edition

This is a beautiful edition of a beautiful work. If you enjoy Blake, snatch this up. It also makes a nice gift.

Published on April 15, 2013 by david1229

Songs of Innocence and Experience

Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake

I don’t completely understand why some people choose to take the classics, respect them for what they are on the... Read more

Published on February 28, 2013 by Elyssa Szkirpan