Visions of the Daughters of Albion

About this book

This landmark edition of William Blakes Visions of the Daughters of Albion provides the first full-size reproduction of the Huntington Librarys copy of the work printed and colored by Blake and his wife Catherine in 1793. Generally seen as a continuation of The Book of Thel this relatively early work of Blakes offers a criticism of the sexual morals of his time presenting its authors views on the evils of organized religion on slavery and on oppressed womanhood. Drawings related to Visions that Blake sketched in his Notebook now held in the British Library have been digitally enhanced in the reproductions in this edition and are visible for the first time. Blake expert Robert Essick explains not just the text but also Blakes invention of the method he used to etch his poetry and designs. A plate-by-plate analysis of the images and text sets the enigmas of Blakes poetry in the clarifying contexts of his life and thought and of contemporary literature and politics.