The Early Illuminated Books (The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 3) (Paperback)

by William Blake (Author), Morris Eaves (Editor), Robert N. Essick (Editor), Joseph Viscomi (Editor), David Bindman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
[These volumes] reproduce, plate by plate, Blake's hand-lettered verses and colored illustrations. . . . These illuminated books, masterpieces of the book-maker's art, answer critical questions, especially about the poet's late, recondite allegories. They remind the poetry scholar that his Blake was first a visual artist, indebted to Raphael and Michelangelo, and second a writer beholden to Spenser and Milton. . . . -- Review

Review
[Blake's] illuminated books, parables of earthly life, were peopled with fanciful creatures drawn from an elaborate invented mythology. Blake published these works himself, but his ambition to reach a wide audience was never realized. Now the William Blake Trust, in association with Princeton University Press, has initiated a five-volume facsimile series. . . . The first two volumes . . . are now available. Produced with meticulous care, each has a brief introduction. Each volume also contains exquisite reproductions of the original plates, a new transcription of Blake's text and scholarly but accessible plate-by-plate commentaries.
(Andrea Barnet The New York Times Book Review )

The color printing is exceptional.
(Lewis Segal The Los Angeles Times Book Review )

In every way this initial release is a triumph. The exquisite images and a lucid text of each volume endow not just Blake's work, but the relationships between word and image, with a crystalline clarity.
(Eric Gibson The Washington Times )

[These volumes] reproduce, plate by plate, Blake's hand-lettered verses and colored illustrations. . . . These illuminated books, masterpieces of the book-maker's art, answer critical questions, especially about the poet's late, recondite allegories. They remind the poetry scholar that his Blake was first a visual artist, indebted to Raphael and Michelangelo, and second a writer beholden to Spenser and Milton. . . .
(New Criterion )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (September 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691001472
• ISBN-13: 978-0691001470
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,223,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #25 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Artists, A-Z > ( A-C ) > Blake, William
  #38 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Illuminations
  #55 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Blake, William

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, September 27, 2000

By	Joseph J. Thiebes (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, September 27, 2000

By	Joseph J. Thiebes (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five beautiful works from 1788 - 1793, January 31, 2004

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This beautifully produced volume contains five of Blake's early works in relief etching (his illuminated books from 1788 to 1793 save "The Songs of Innocence" from 1789 - published in volume 2 in this series). They are the early tract like "All Religions Are One" and "There Is No Natural Religion", then the fable of "Thel", the magnificent "Marriage of Heaven and Hell" (one of Blake's most popular works), and the beautiful "Visions of the Daughters of Albion".

This volume really four books bound in one. The tracts are treated as one book, then each of the others individually. Each sub-volume has its own introduction and commentary and each plate is given its own page and most have the text on the left page with the plate on the right.

There are also alternative plates provided for additional study.

As with all the volumes in this series, the production values are high, as is the scholarship. A volume you can be proud to have on your shelf.