'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...

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 writeIn 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...

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 gra...

While his contemporaries considered Blake a madman, we now appreciate him as an important figure in the development of romantic and mystical poetry.Blake's poetry is unique from every angle: It possesses a philosophical depth that impacts the reader at a spiritual level.Blake created his own mythological world, which he outlined in his prophetic books. His complex world is inhabited by deities and heroes to whom he gave unusual names: Urizen, Luva, Tarmas, Urton, Los, Enitarm...

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 a...

Songs of Innocence and Songs of ExperienceThe Marriage of Heaven and HellOnce a dream did weave a shade O’er my angel-guarded bed, That an emmet lost its way Where on grass methought I lay. Troubled, wildered, and forlorn, Dark, benighted, travel-worn, Over many a tangled spray, All heart-broke, I heard her say: ‘ O my children! do they cry, Do they hear their father sigh? Now they look abroad to see, Now return and weep for me.’

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Songs of Innocence and Experience brings together two books of poetry by William Blake that delve into these two opposing states of the human soul. His Songs of Innocence are often cheerful and sweet and always demonstrate the purity of youth, as Blake explores themes of freedom, happiness, loss and religion. The optimism of innocence is keenly contrasted by Blake's Songs of Experience, which feature a more realistic and often darker view of the world.

William Blake Complete Works World's Best CollectionThis is the world’s best William Blake collection, including the most complete set of Blake’s works available plus many free bonus materials.William BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet and painter. Although unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry of the Romantic Age, and in 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the...

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 brill...

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 writeIn a book, that all may rea...

William Blake's "Jerusalem" stands as a monumental exploration of spirituality, religion, and the human condition. This prophetic poem, penned between 1804 and 1820, combines vivid imagery with Blake's unique mythopoeic style, characterized by a fusion of traditional biblical themes and revolutionary ideals. The text illustrates Blake's vision of a New Jerusalem, a spiritual and political utopia birthed from the struggles against oppression and materialism. Its interplay of symbolic langua...