Customer Reviews

Visions of the Daughters of Albion

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Deftly edited by Robert N. Essick (Professor of English, University of California - Riverside), Visions of the Daughters of Albion is a full color reproduction of William Blake's classic literary blend of verse and art, which was first printed in 1793. Enhanced with a straightforward, easy-to-read, separate transcription of Blake's poem, drawings from Blake's sketchbook related to the final work, and an extensive and erudite literary commentary on the images plate-by-plate, Visions Of The Daughters Of Albion is the definitive edition of a timeless classic and would grace the collection of any academic reference library or William Blake enthusiast.

I originally ordered this book in order to do a presentation for a graduate course at a local university. It worked out perfectly for the presentation as the pictures are beautiful and the editor, Robert Essick, does a marvelous job describing each picture and even transcribing the notes and illustrations from Blake's own notebook. Further, Essick adds a section entitled "Commentary" which I relied on heavily to explain certain aspects of Blake's life to the students. Essick's writing reads easily and beautifully, so there is never a dull moment, even though it is a scholarly work. If you are interested at all in William Blake and his works, I believe you will enjoy this book very much.