Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
- PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- BIOGRAPHY
- CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY
- CHAPTER II CHILDHOOD
- CHAPTER III ENGRAVER'S APPRENTICE
- CHAPTER IV A BOY'S POEMS
- CHAPTER V STUDENT AND LOVER
- CHAPTER VI INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITE WORLD
- CHAPTER VII STRUGGLE AND SORROW
- CHAPTER VIII MEDITATION: NOTES ON LAVATER
- CHAPTER IX POEMS OF MANHOOD: SONGS OF INNOCENCE
- CHAPTER X BOOKS OF PROPHECY: THEL, MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
- CHAPTER XI BOOKSELLER JOHNSON'S
- CHAPTER XII THE GATES OF PARADISE, VISIONS OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ALBION, THE ‘AMERICA’
- CHAPTER XIII THE SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
- CHAPTER XIV PRODUCTIVE YEARS: EUROPE, URIZEN, THE SONG OF LOS, AHANIA
- CHAPTER XV AT WORK FOR THE PUBLISHERS
- CHAPTER XVI A NEW LIFE
- CHAPTER XVII POET HAYLEY AND FELPHAM
- CHAPTER XVIII WORKING HOURS: LETTERS TO BUTTS
- CHAPTER XIX TRIAL FOR SEDITION
- CHAPTER XX SOUTH MOLTON STREET: LETTERS TO HAYLEY
- CHAPTER XXI THE JERUSALEM AND THE MILTON
- CHAPTER XXII A KEEN EMPLOYER
- CHAPTER XXIII GLEAMS OF PATRONAGE
- CHAPTER XXIV THE DESIGNS TO BLAIR
- CHAPTER XXV APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC
- CHAPTER XXVI ENGRAVER CROMEK
- CHAPTER XXVII YEARS OF DEEPENING NEGLECT
- CHAPTER XXVIII JOHN VARLEY AND THE VISIONARY HEADS
- CHAPTER XXIX OPINIONS: NOTES ON REYNOLDS
- CHAPTER XXX DESIGNS TO PHILLIPS'S PASTORALS
- CHAPTER XXXI FOUNTAIN COURT
- CHAPTER XXXII INVENTIONS TO THE BOOK OF JOB
- CHAPTER XXXIII HAMPSTEAD; AND YOUTHFUL DISCIPLES
- CHAPTER XXXIV PERSONAL DETAILS
- CHAPTER XXXV MAD OR NOT MAD
- CHAPTER XXXVI DECLINING HEALTH; DESIGNS TO DANTE; MR. CRABB ROBINSON'S REMINISCENCES; NOTES ON WORDSWORTH
- CHAPTER XXXVII LAST DAYS
- CHAPTER XXXVIII POSTHUMOUS
- CHAPTER XXXIX SUPPLEMENTARY
- Plate section
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2011
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
- PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- BIOGRAPHY
- CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY
- CHAPTER II CHILDHOOD
- CHAPTER III ENGRAVER'S APPRENTICE
- CHAPTER IV A BOY'S POEMS
- CHAPTER V STUDENT AND LOVER
- CHAPTER VI INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITE WORLD
- CHAPTER VII STRUGGLE AND SORROW
- CHAPTER VIII MEDITATION: NOTES ON LAVATER
- CHAPTER IX POEMS OF MANHOOD: SONGS OF INNOCENCE
- CHAPTER X BOOKS OF PROPHECY: THEL, MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
- CHAPTER XI BOOKSELLER JOHNSON'S
- CHAPTER XII THE GATES OF PARADISE, VISIONS OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ALBION, THE ‘AMERICA’
- CHAPTER XIII THE SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
- CHAPTER XIV PRODUCTIVE YEARS: EUROPE, URIZEN, THE SONG OF LOS, AHANIA
- CHAPTER XV AT WORK FOR THE PUBLISHERS
- CHAPTER XVI A NEW LIFE
- CHAPTER XVII POET HAYLEY AND FELPHAM
- CHAPTER XVIII WORKING HOURS: LETTERS TO BUTTS
- CHAPTER XIX TRIAL FOR SEDITION
- CHAPTER XX SOUTH MOLTON STREET: LETTERS TO HAYLEY
- CHAPTER XXI THE JERUSALEM AND THE MILTON
- CHAPTER XXII A KEEN EMPLOYER
- CHAPTER XXIII GLEAMS OF PATRONAGE
- CHAPTER XXIV THE DESIGNS TO BLAIR
- CHAPTER XXV APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC
- CHAPTER XXVI ENGRAVER CROMEK
- CHAPTER XXVII YEARS OF DEEPENING NEGLECT
- CHAPTER XXVIII JOHN VARLEY AND THE VISIONARY HEADS
- CHAPTER XXIX OPINIONS: NOTES ON REYNOLDS
- CHAPTER XXX DESIGNS TO PHILLIPS'S PASTORALS
- CHAPTER XXXI FOUNTAIN COURT
- CHAPTER XXXII INVENTIONS TO THE BOOK OF JOB
- CHAPTER XXXIII HAMPSTEAD; AND YOUTHFUL DISCIPLES
- CHAPTER XXXIV PERSONAL DETAILS
- CHAPTER XXXV MAD OR NOT MAD
- CHAPTER XXXVI DECLINING HEALTH; DESIGNS TO DANTE; MR. CRABB ROBINSON'S REMINISCENCES; NOTES ON WORDSWORTH
- CHAPTER XXXVII LAST DAYS
- CHAPTER XXXVIII POSTHUMOUS
- CHAPTER XXXIX SUPPLEMENTARY
- Plate section
Summary
In 1878 thirty-four autograph letters from William Blake to Hayley were sold by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson. Thanks to the courtesy of the gentlemen into whose possession a large proportion of the letters ultimately passed,–Mr. Frederick Locker and Mr. Alexander Macmillan,–these, and a few more obtained from the same source (one by the British Museum and the others by Mr. Kirby), are now incorporated in the Biography, and carry on the narrative of Blake's life during the two years immediately succeeding his return from Felpham. In the same way the letters to Mr. Butts, generously placed in my hands by his grandson, Captain Butts, just before the appearance of the first edition, and there printed in Vol. II., are now put in their place, making the Felpham chapters mainly autobiographical.
The two friends whose labour of love wrought so largely to give completeness to the first issue of this book have revised and, especially in the case of the Annotated Catalogue, brought up to date their work; whilst another friend, Mr. Frederic J. Shields, out of the same warmth of admiration for Blake's genius and character, has freely rendered precious service with pen and pencil further to enrich the new edition. He has supplied a vigorous translation into words of the more pregnant among the large and important series of Designs by Blake to Young's Night Thoughts, which has lately come to light, and is now in the possession of Mr. Bain, of the Haymarket – the series of which a very small portion only was engraved by Blake for Edwards's edition of 1797.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Life of William BlakeWith Selections from his Poems and Other Writings, pp. v - viiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1880