William Blake

Seeks to supply a sounder and more uncluttered text for reading than has been heretofore available, together with variant and delected passages for study/

"In 1809 Blake was little known, and his exhibition, held in a private house in Soho, attracted few visitors. But Henry Crabb Robinson came, and so did Charles Lamb.". "Five of the sixteen pictures exhibited have been lost; but among those that remain are The Spiritual Form of Nelson guiding Leviathan, The Spiritual Form of Pitt guiding Behemoth, and The Canterbury Pilgrims, from Chaucer. Blake's text for the catalogue is both commentary and manifesto, throwing light not just on the pictures but also on the illuminated books."--BOOK JACKET.

Here in one volume are the top one hundred poems, as determined by a survey of more than 1,000 anthologies - the poems in English most frequently anthologized, the poems with the broadest, most enduring appeal. With insights into the historical period in which each poem was written, the verse form used, and connections among poems, this is the ideal introduction to poetry, as well as a treasury for the dedicated reader.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience compiles two contrasting but directly related books of poetry by William Blake. Songs of Innocence honors and praises the natural world, the natural innocence of children and their close relationship to God. Songs of Experience contains much darker, disillusioned poems, which deal with serious, often political themes. It is believed that the disastrous end to the French Revolution produced this disillusionment in Blake. He does, however, maintain that true innocence is achieved only through experience.

For other editions, see Author Catalog.