New Releases by William Blake

Originally published in 1912, Songs of Innocence, was written by the legendary William Blake (1757 – 1827), and illustrated with the stunning drawings of Honor Appleton. It is a collection of nineteen poems, including of ‘The Lamb’, ‘The Blossom’, ‘Night’, ‘Spring’, ‘Nurse’s Song’, and ‘The School-Boy’. The prequel to Songs of Experience, this book redefines our traditional notions of ‘paradise’ and ‘the fall’ – representing childhood a state of protected innocence rather than original sin, but not immune to the fallen world and its institutions. Honor C. Appleton (1879 – 1951), was a master of the trade. During her lifetime, she illustrated over one-hundred-and-fifty books, with her most famous works including Our Nursery Rhyme Book (1912),Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales (1919), and the collected Stories of Hans Christian Andersen (1922). As her career progressed, she began producing bolder images for literary classics, Songs of Innocence being a prime example of this progression. Presented alongside the text, Appleton’s enchanting creations serve to further refine and enhance William Blake’s masterful poetry – making this a book to be enjoyed and appreciated, by both young and old; ‘innocent’, and ‘experienced’. Pook Press celebrates the great ‘Golden Age of Illustration‘ in children’s classics and fairy tales – a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration. We publish rare and vintage Golden Age illustrated books, in high-quality colour editions, so that the masterful artwork and story-telling can continue to delight both young and old.

The Songs of Innocence and Experience are masterpieces of English lyric poetry and William Blake''s most famous work, presenting two vastly different views of the world: one beautiful and one horrific. This edition contains all of the poems (including the rare early poem, "A Divine Image") and unlike most editions, preserves Blake''s idiosyncratic spelling, punctuation, and capitalization system. The poems are presented exactly as Blake intended them. To elucidate Blake''s poems, 46 full-page illustrations were created by author and designer Robert Crayola. Each image is rendered in meticulous grayscale, and adds a new level of insight and clarity to the work. Also included are a commentary on the poems and an author biography, making this the definitive edition of this classic work.

A collection of poems, prose, notebooks, marginalia, and letters by William Blake, accompanied by critical commentaries of selected works.

William Blake is one of England''s most original artists whose works aim to liberate imaginative energies. This volume contains his greatest writings and a generous selection from the Prophetic Books including Milton and Jerusalem.

"The nature of William Blake''s genius and of his art is most completely expressed in his Illuminated Books. In order to give full and free expression to his vision Blake invented a method of printing that enabled him to created works in which words and images combine to form pages uniquely rich in content and beautiful in form. It is only through the pages as originally conceived and published by the poet himself that Blake''s meaning can be fully experienced."--Publisher''s description.

"The nature of William Blake''s genius and of his art is most completely expressed in his Illuminated Books. In order to give full and free expression to his vision Blake invented a method of printing that enabled him to created works in which words and images combine to form pages uniquely rich in content and beautiful in form. It is only through the pages as originally conceived and published by the poet himself that Blake''s meaning can be fully experienced."--Publisher''s description.

Brian Murray and Suzanne Toren read 45 poems on purity and corruption. Includes paperback edition of Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.

21 watercolors interpreting the great biblical book and its theme of unmerited suffering. Also presented here are 11 additional watercolors, plus 28 black-and-white illustrations, including 21 extraordinary engravings based on the watercolors.

These Everyman''s Library Pocket Poets hardcover editions are popular for their compact size and reasonable price which do not compromise content. Poems: Blake contains a full selection of Blake''s work, including Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, poems from Blake''s Ms. book, poems from The Prophetic Books, and an index of first lines.

Milton is a difficult and cryptic poem for those uninitiated in the ways of Blake''s allusive and allegorical style. In an introductory essay, the editors directly address the nature of the poem''s complexity, demonstrate how Blake''s methods set out to disconcert conventional concepts of time, space, and human identity, and suggest some ways readers coming to Milton for the first time can understand and enjoy the challenges it offers. The editors also present a plate-by-plate commentary on how the illustrations contribute to the creation of a composite, visual-verbal experience. The extensive notes to the newly-edited letterpress text will also assist readers through Milton, its central themes and its byways, its heights and its depths. An equally helpful introduction and notes are provided for the three shorter works. Scholars will find much new information in this volume.

This edition includes almost all Blake''s substantive variants with the exception of some in the exceptionally complex manuscript of Vala, or the Four Zoas.

A collection of William Blake''s poetry and prose.