Erdman David Rose Edward Grant (3 results)

Two volumes, folio (37.5 x 30cm). Vol. I, pp. xvi,100. Vol. II, x. With 797 large reproductions including all 537 watercolours from the British Museum Print Room reproduced in monochrome, plus 78 in colour, plus proofs plus the entire 1797 text and plates. Hardcovers in dustwrappers with slip-case. VG. Heavy item may require additional postage for foreign order. VG. [Bentley Suppl. 177].

Hardcover. Condition: Like New. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. This two volume set is bound in matching navy blue publisher's cloth. Covers are plain with gilt lettering on each spine. Profusely illustrated with facsimile art by William Blake, the 537 watercolour drawings and 43 engravings reproduced in these volumes constitute Blake's largest pictorial work. They comprise a page-for-page illustration of all nine Nights of the once famous Night Thoughts on Life, Death and Immortality by Edward Young (1683-1765). Transformed by Blake's imagination they shine as an illuminated serial fresco of irony, comedy, and prophecy. This publication in book form, with its high proportion of full-colour plates, is a necessary response to the ever-increasing interest in William Blake and to the exacting inclusiveness of a critical scholarship which demands easy access and frequent reference to the artist's entire work. Volume I and II, containing the Introduction and Plates, will be followed by Volumes III and IV, the Commentary. (From the dust jacket; Volumes III and IV are NOT included within this listing.) Matching illustrated dust jackets in color against an off white background; black lettering on the cover and spine. Slipcase is navy blue with white interior, and includes a slipcase divider between the two volumes. (Slipcase measures 15.25" tall x 12.25" wide x 4" thick).VOLUME I contents include: List of figures in introduction; List of watercolor designs reproduced in color in Volume II; Abbreviations, numbering, short titles, markings; Introduction; The History of the Designs; The Watercolour Drawings; The Engravings; Evolution of the Designs; Copies of the Engraved Work; Checklist of Studies and Reproductions; Notes to introduction; Index to introduction; The watercolour designs (NT 1-263). xvi, 99 pp., plates 1-263. (Measures 14.75" tall x 11.75" wide x 1.5" thick).VOLUME II contents include: List of watercolour designs reproduced in color; The watercolour designs (NT 264-537); The watercolour designs: Colour plates of selected designs; The engraved designs: colour plates of title-pages of coloured copies; The engraved designs: proofs; The engraved designs: the 1797 edition. viii, plates 264-537. (Measures 14.75" tall x 11.75" wide x 2" thick).ABOUT THE ARTIST: William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. (Wikipedia). CONDITION: Volumes themselves are like new and beautiful. Illustrations are mesmerizing. Dust jackets are near fine as they are price clipped, and minimal wrinkling at the foredge of Volume I, and a moderate crease at the middle of the spine. Slipcase is VG+ with mild rubbing and light wear, particularly at the seams and corners. A magnificent set. At over 18 lbs. with packaging materials, due to the size and weight of this set, an additional shipping charge will apply. Please note that a signature will be required for this item upon delivery. Full refund if not satisfied.

Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. 2 volumes large folio, 548 pages full-colour facsimile & accompanying 362 pages commentary; as new in blue cloth, dust-jackets. In a blue cloth box, worn. A complete facsimile of all 537 watercolors from the original edition in the British Museum. As new. § William Blake was commissioned in 1795 to illustrate Night Thoughts for a major new edition of the poem to be published by Richard Edwards. Blake began by making a series of 537 watercolor illustrations from which he planned to engrave about 200 for publication. The first volume - with forty-three engravings by Blake - was published in 1797, but it was a commercial failure and the expensive publishing venture was abandoned. In 2005 The Folio Society published in two volumes a fine facsimile accompanied by a commentary by Robyn Hamlyn. This is the first time the entire series has been published in full-color facsimile and it is a superb production. It is unlikely ever to be repeated.Due to the fact that the principal evidence of Blake's work on these illustrations was the comparatively short series of engravings, art history has been slow to recognize the significance of the project within Blake's oeuvre. In 1980, the Oxford University Press began publication of a projected five-volume scholarly edition of Blake's Night Thoughts, edited by J. E. Grant et al.; two volumes have so far appeared. Bentley, Blake Books postscript 2000, page 7, noted that the planned volumes ofcommentary were still in preparation. The commentary seems to have been abandoned.