The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 4:
The Continental Prophecies
William Blake
Edited, with introductions and notes, by D. W. Dörrbecker
David Bindman, General Editor

Cloth | 1995 | $125.00 / £85.00
372 pp. | 8 x 12 | 58 color plates, 20 b&w illustrations

Shopping Cart | Table of Contents

The last volumes in the series of William Blake's Illuminated Books reveal the writer and artist as a prophet driven by a sense of apocalyptic urgency. Blake conceived and executed The Continental Prophecies and The Urizen Books in the early 1790s, capturing the intellectual and spiritual turmoil of the American and French revolutions. Here, for the first time, the general reader will encounter Blake's most intense vision in reproductions that do justice to the originals, accompanied by texts, comprehensive notes and commentaries, and detailed interpretations of the designs.

The Continental Prophecies, which comprises "America," "Europe," and "The Song of Los," presents Blake's critical reckoning with the history of his own times. Marked by a particularly close integration of word and image, the books form a mythical plot from historical events and criticize the intricate structure of social oppression that the author attributes to organized state religion. Each of the three books attempts to point a way toward the process of millennial liberation.

These volumes complete the six-part series of William Blake's Illuminated Books, including Jerusalem, Songs of Innocence and of Experience (now available in paperback), The Early Illuminated Books, and Milton, A Poem, all published by Princeton University Press.

Table of Contents:

PREFACE by David Bindman, General Editor 6
FOREWORD 7
A NOTE ON CITATIONS, ABBREVIATIONS, TEXTS AND VARIANTS 8
THE CONTINENTAL PROPHECIES 11
AMERICA: A PROPHECY
Introduction
Themes and Contexts 27
The Designs 42
Plates, Printings, and Colouring 73
Text and Reproduction 81
Supplementary Illustrations 116
Notes to Blake's Text 127
EUROPE: A PROPHECY
Introduction
Themes and Contexts 141
The Designs 161
Plates, Printings, and Coloring 210
Text and Reproduction 217
Supplementary Illustrations 250
Notes to Blake's Text 266
THE SONG OF LOS
Introduction
Themes and Contexts 287
The Designs 302
Plates, Printing, and Colouring 319
Text and Reproduction 325
Supplementary Illustrations 340
Notes to Blake's Text 347
WORKS CITED355

Series:

• Blake
  David Bindman, General Editor

Subject Areas:

• Art and Architecture
• British Literature
• Literature: Primary Works and Letters

Published in association with the William Blake Trust

Cloth: Not for sale in Japan

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For customers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia
Cloth: $125.00 ISBN13: 978-0-691-03674-8

For customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India
Cloth: £85.00 ISBN13: 978-0-691-03674-8

Prices subject to change without notice

File created: 11/4/2009

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