The Book of Urizen: A Facsimile in Full Color

By William Blake

The richly illuminated works of William Blake — poet, prophet, and artist — have fascinated readers since the late eighteenth century. In majestic verse illustrated with his own hand-colored plates, the poet explored profound and mystical themes, including the relationship between God and man and the concept of life as a journey toward spiritual self-knowledge.
One of Blake's most interesting and powerful creations, The Book of Urizen represents a parody of the book of Genesis, in which the righteous figure of God is replaced by that of Urizen, the "dark power" and obstacle to spiritual life. With "the voice of honest indignation," Blake compels readers to recognize and overcome their inner adversary in order to rise to higher levels of perception.
Incredibly beautiful in its combination of words and pictures, The Book of Urizen boasts some of Blake's most magnificent designs, rich in energy and monumental grandeur. For any lover of Blake, this edition represents an inexpensive opportunity to enjoy one of his finest works, including full-color reproductions of the poet's distinctive hand-colored plates and a printed transcription of the poem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Jun 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486145341

William Blake

William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet and visual artist often linked to the Romantic movement. As a youth in London, he was primarily educated at home before becoming an engraver’s apprentice. Later, Blake would attend the Royal Academy and eventually find work in publishing. His debut, Poetical Sketches, was printed in 1783 followed by Songs of Innocence in 1789. The latter is arguably his most popular collection due to its vivid imagery and thought-provoking themes.

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Copyright

Copyright © 1997 by Dover Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved under Pan American and International Copyright Conventions.

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 1997, is an unabridged republication of the work as published by William Blake in 1815. A Publisher’s Note and the complete text of The Book of Urizen have been specially prepared for this edition.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blake, William, 1757—1827.

[First book of Urizen]

The book of Urizen / by William Blake.

p. cm.

Originally issued under title: The first book of Urizen.

Includes index.

9780486145341

1. Creation—Poetry. 2. Fall of man—Poetry. 3. Illumination of books and manuscripts, English. I.

Title.

PR4144.F5 1997

821’.7—dc21

97-27426

CIP

Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y 11501

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

ENGLISH ARTIST, poet, and visionary, William Blake (1757—1827) created a remarkable series of illuminated books that combined profound and beautiful poetry with extraordinarily original and powerful illustrations. He produced these