Most Popular Books by William Blake

Poetry.

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.

" Piping down the valleys wild, Piping songs of pleasant glee, On a cloud I saw a child, And he laughing said to me: "Pipe a song about a Lamb!" So I piped with merry cheer. "Piper, pipe that song again;" So I piped: he wept to hear. "Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe; Sing thy songs of happy cheer!" So I sang the same again, While he wept with joy to hear. "Piper, sit thee down and write In a book, that all may read." So he vanish''d from my sight; And I pluck''d a hollow reed, And I made a rural pen, And I stain''d the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs Every child may joy to hear."

In 1809 the little-known artist William Blake held an exhibition of 16 paintings in a private house in Soho in the west end of London. Works inspired by Chaucer''s "Canterbury Tales" and John Milton''s "Paradise Lost" sat alongside biblical scenes and Arthurian legend. The exhibition was not a success; the only review in the press was extremely unfavourable and few of the public came. One of those who did was the poet Charles Lamb, who later described the pictures as ''hard, dry, yet with grace'', and the catalogue that accompanied the show as ''mystical and full of vision''. It is this catalogue that Tate Publishing are once again making available. In it, the scale and range of Blake''s ambition are made plain, along with his theories on painting, his unsparing critiques of other artists and some extraordinary insights into the working of his mind. The only detailed writing on art that remains to us by Blake, it throws light on all his subsequent artistic enterprises, including the illuminated books for which he is perhaps most famous. Part commentary and part manifesto, his catalogue is as radical as it is in places eccentric (he claims at one point to have been transported in a "vision" back to the classical world). Fully illustrated in colour with reproductions of surviving works originally in the exhibition, the book includes an illuminating essay by leading authority on British art Martin Myrone, Lead Curator of Pre-1800 Art at Tate Britain, making it an essential purchase for all of those wanting to know more.

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.

This volume collects the most essential poems of William Blake and demonstrates the enduring brilliance of his work. William Blake is one of England’s most fascinating writers; he was not only a groundbreaking poet, but also a painter, engraver, radical, and mystic. Although Blake was dismissed as an eccentric by his contemporaries, his powerful and richly symbolic poetry has been a fertile source of inspiration to the many writers and artists who have followed in his footsteps. Blake: Poems contains a wide 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.

Songs of Innocence was the first of Blake''s illuminated books published in 1789. It is a cheerful and optimistic volume which concerns itself with such themes as springtime, children''s games, the freedom of the human spirit, and a kind and loving God. Songs of Experience is the second part of Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The poems and artwork were reproduced by copperplate engraving and colored with washes by hand. Blake republished Songs of Innocence and Experience several times, often changing the number and order of the plates. The spellings, punctuation and capitalizations are those of the original Blake manuscripts. William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

This carefully crafted ebook: "Jerusalem (Illuminated Manuscript with the Original Illustrations of William Blake)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, a tin merchant, travelled to what is now England and visited Glastonbury during the unknown years of Jesus. The legend is linked to an idea in the Book of Revelation describing a Second Coming, wherein Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem. The Christian Church in general, and the English Church in particular, has long used Jerusalem as a metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace. In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake implies that a visit by Jesus would briefly create heaven in England, in contrast to the "dark Satanic Mills" of the Industrial Revolution. Blake''s poem asks questions rather than asserting the historical truth of Christ''s visit. Thus the poem merely implies that there may, or may not, have been a divine visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell William Blake - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a book by the English poet and printmaker William Blake. It is a series of texts written in imitation of biblical prophecy but expressing Blake''s own intensely personal Romantic and revolutionary beliefs. Like his other books, it was published as printed sheets from etched plates containing prose, poetry and illustrations. The plates were then coloured by Blake and his wife Catherine.Once regarded as a brilliant eccentric whose works skirted the outer fringes of English art and literature, William Blake (17571827) is today recognized as a major poet, a profound thinker, and one of the most original and exciting English artists. Nowhere is his glorious poetic and pictorial legacy more evident than in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which many consider his most inspired and original work.The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is both a humorous satire on religion and morality and a work that concisely expresses Blake''s essential wisdom and philosophy, much of it revealed in the 70 aphorisms of his "Proverbs of Hell."

William Blake''s "Milton" is a profound exploration of the interplay between myth, imagination, and spiritual awakening. Written in a distinctively visionary style, this long poem articulates Blake''s unique cosmology, wherein the figure of John Milton serves as both a historical figure and a mythic archetype. Through his intricate use of symbols and allegory, Blake delves into themes of divine inspiration, the nature of the human soul, and the pursuit of artistic truth, positioning Milton as a prophet and his works as vehicles of profound knowledge and enlightenment. The poem, comprising a rich tapestry of allegorical prose and lyrical verses, reflects Blake''s belief in the power of creativity to transcend earthly limitations and connect with the divine. William Blake (1757-1827), a visionary poet and artist, was deeply influenced by both the Enlightenment and the Romantic movement. His radical ideas on art, sexuality, and religion were often considered ahead of his time, which shaped his literary voice. Blake''s admiration for Milton, along with his aspiration to express his own mythos, catalyzed the writing of "Milton." This work encapsulates Blake''s conviction that art should convey deep spiritual truths, often intertwining his personal insights with broader philosophical questions. "Milton" is an essential read for those interested in understanding the intersection of poetry, spirituality, and the creative impulse. Through Blake''s visionary lens, readers will uncover a profound meditation on the nature of artistic creation and the spiritual journey. This book is not merely a poetic endeavor; it is an invitation to explore the infinite possibilities of the human imagination.

A hybrid of Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience that brings poetry, philosophy and spirituality into an all-inclusive text that’s both accessible and enlightening. These selections have an easy-to-follow format that allows readers to smoothly transition from one book to the next. Blake’s writing consists of two parts: one focusing on “innocence” and the other on “experience.” They each feature a group of poems that fit their respective themes. Songs of Innocence highlights the peaceful naiveté of youth, while Songs of Experience emphasizes the loss of purity due to outside influence. Considered one of the greatest British artists to ever live, William Blake’s work is revered by critics and scholars. His illustrative style captivates the reader’s imagination keeping them interested and engaged. Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an essential sampling of his literary contributions and a worthy addition to any poetry collection. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience is both modern and readable.

William Blake is regarded as one of the greatest creative geniuses of the Romantic era, valued for the visionary power of both his poetry and his art. However, in his own time, he struggled to make ends meet and his work attracted little attention. The book contains a lengthy introduction to the life and work of Black by Norton as was as full page black and white copies of the etchings which Blake between 1823 and 1826 for his illustrated edition of the Book of Job. His Illustrations of the Book tell the Biblical story of Job, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a didactic poem set in a prose frame and has been included in lists of the greatest books in world literature. William Blake (1757 – 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His paintings and poetry have been characterised as part of the Romantic movement and "Pre-Romantic", for its large appearance in the 18th century. Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions. Despite these known influences, the singularity of Blake''s work makes him difficult to classify.

''Every page is a window open in Heaven ... interwoven designs companion the poems, and gold and yellow tints diffuse themselves over the page like summer clouds. The poems [of Song of Innocence] are the morning song of Blake''s genius.'' - W.B. Yeats''Blake sang of the ideal world, of the truth of the intellect, and of the divinity of imagination ... The only writer to have written songs for children with the soul of a child ... he holds, in my view, a unique position because he unites intellectual sharpness with mystic sentiment.'' - James JoyceSong of Innocence and of Experience is a rare and wonderful book, its seeming simplicity belying its visionary wisdom. Internationally recognised as a masterpiece of English literature, it also occupies a key position in the history of western art.This unique edition of the work allows Blake to communicate with his readers as he intended, reproducing Blake''s own illumination and lettering from the finest existing example of the original work. In this way readers can experience the mystery and beauty of Blake''s poems as he first created them, discovering for themselves the intricate webs of symbol and meaning that connects word and image.Each poem is accompanied by a literal transcription, and the volume is introduced by the renowned historian and critic, Richard Holmes. The poems are narrated by novelist and critic, Adam Mars-Jones.This beautiful edition of Song of Innocence and of Experience will be essential for those familiar with Blake''s work, but also offers an ideal way into his visionary world for those encountering Blake for the first time.

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.

This carefully crafted ebook: "The Song of Los (Illuminated Manuscript with the Original Illustrations of William Blake)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The Song of Los, written 1795, is one of William Blake''s epic poems, known as prophetic books. The poem consists of two sections, "Africa" and "Asia". In the first section Blake catalogues the decline of morality in Europe, which he blames on both the African slave trade and enlightenment philosophers. The book provides a historical context for The Book of Urizen, The Book of Ahania, and The Book of Los, and also ties those more obscure works to The Continental Prophecies, "Europe" and "America". The second section consists of Los urging revolution. The Song of Los was one of the few works that Blake describes as "illuminated printing", one of his colour printed works with the coloured ink being placed on the copperplate before printed. William Blake was a poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver. During his life the prophetic message of his writings were understood by few and misunderstood by many. However Blake is now widely admired for his soulful originality and lofty imagination. The poetry of William Blake is far reaching in its scope and range of experience. The poems of William Blake can offer a profound symbolism and also a delightful childlike innocence. Whatever the inner meaning of Blake’s poetry we can easily appreciate the beautiful language and lyrical quality of his poetic vision.

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

"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.