Paradise Lost as an important English epic poem. Twice he was commissioned to illustrate it, applying his own unique interpretation to the text. This is the full-scale colour facsimile of Satan, Sin, and Death: Satan Comes to the Gates of Hell, which Blake completed in 1806. This Arion Press publication of 2004 also contains the first series of 12 images commissioned by Joseph Thomas in 1807, including another watercolour of Satan, Sin, and Death: Satan Comes to the Gates of Hell that differs slightly from the image here. This limited edition publication – no. 29 of 400 copies – is a significant addition to the materials already held in Special Collections of this important British artist-poet.]]> William Blake]]> Paradise Lost. Over the years, scribal and transmission errors, variant spellings, punctuation, capitalizations, and additions have cast doubt on the text’s reliability. By modernizing the text, reducing inconsistencies, and applying judicious attention to various words and phrases, John T. Shawcross has provided a new and ‘definitive’ edition for Milton scholars. In printing this edition, Andrew Hoyem (of Arion Press) pays tribute to the John Baskerville edition of 1759, and the second edition of Paradise Lost of 1674, the year that Milton died. This was when the poem was divided into 12 books.]]> John Milton]]> Paradise Lost. Over the years, scribal and transmission errors, variant spellings, punctuation, capitalizations, and additions have cast doubt on the text’s reliability. By modernizing the text, reducing inconsistencies, and applying judicious attention to various words and phrases, John T. Shawcross has provided a new and ‘definitive’ edition for Milton scholars. In printing this edition, Andrew Hoyem (of Arion Press) pays tribute to the John Baskerville edition of 1759, and the second edition of Paradise Lost of 1674, the year that Milton died. This was when the poem was divided into 12 books. Here is a portion of the text that provided Blake with the inspiration to produce his Satan, Sin, and Death image.]]> John Milton]]> Le Sphinx actually antedate his first published work, The Collected Sonnets by John Keats (1930). Thus they are JBW’s first book-illustrations, and apart from two, were never previously published. This limited edition portfolio of 250 copies was purchased locally.]]> Alexander A. M. Stols]]> The Red Book. Jung created this ‘book’ between 1914 and 1930, it being the end-result of a period of self-examination which he termed his ‘confrontation with the unconscious.’ This is the first appearance of what is claimed to be an integral part of the psychologist’s own oeuvre, and as such is regarded by many as the most important publication for psychology in the 21st century. An English translation accompanies the text, which apart from documenting Jung’s own thought-processes, also reveals his abilities as a calligrapher and artist. This facsimile was donated to Special Collections.]]> Carl Gustav Jung]]> The Red Book. Jung created this ‘book’ between 1914 and 1930, it being the end-result of a period of self-examination which he termed his ‘confrontation with the unconscious.’ This is the first appearance of what is claimed to be an integral part of the psychologist’s own oeuvre, and as such is regarded by many as the most important publication for psychology in the 21st century. An English translation accompanies the text, which apart from documenting Jung’s own thought-processes, also reveals his abilities as a calligrapher and artist. This facsimile was donated to Special Collections.]]> Carl Gustav Jung]]> The Diary of John Evelyn (1955) and a first English edition of Roland Fréart’s A Parallel of the Antient Architecture with the Modern (1664), which was translated by John Evelyn. In October 2009, a third edition (1723) of this classic work by the French architectural theorist was donated to Special Collections. It arrived somewhat circuitously via a Canterbury bookseller, a Dunedin bookseller, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor. It is in superb condition.]]> Roland Fréart]]> Descriptio Brevissima Priscae Urbis Romae (1544), his famous I Qvattro Libri dell ‘Architettvra (1581), and an English version called The Elements of Civil Architecture (1864). Palladio is very important in the history of Western architecture, and was well known for his designs of villas. This limited edition publication by The Old School Press of Palladio’s Homes (2009) was a certainty for inclusion. Colourful, with a bi-lingual text, it offers succinct Palladian principles of design and form on the domestic home. Villa Godi (Vicenza) was one of the first projects undertaken by Palladio; it is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.]]> ___]]> ]]> Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa first appeared in 1799. An honest and unadorned account of his expedition, it was an instant success. Part of the route Park took is displayed here (the double line of dots, coloured red) in this first edition. As an acknowledged classic in the travel genre, it was a worthy purchase.]]> Mungo Park]]> Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (1857) carries a striking lithograph of the Falls and the classic statement within: ‘Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.’ Livingstone was the first European to see the Falls. This first edition was purchased locally.]]> David Livingstone]]> Monumental Remains of Noble and Eminent Persons (1826); Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman & Cabinet-makers Director. 3rd ed. [1862]; and Matthew Dubourg’s Views of the Remains of Ancient Buildings in Rome (1820); each in their own way must have helped Wales in his work as a partner in Mason and Wales, the oldest practising architectural firm in New Zealand. This is a page from Falconer’s Dictionary, which is rich in engravings of the structural details of wooden ships.]]> William Falconer]]> Monumental Remains of Noble and Eminent Persons (1826); Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman & Cabinet-makers Director. 3rd ed. [1862]; and Matthew Dubourg’s Views of the Remains of Ancient Buildings in Rome (1820); each in their own way must have helped Wales in his work as a partner in Mason and Wales, the oldest practising architectural firm in New Zealand. This is a page from a scrapbook that contains numerous illustrations of English buildings and hand-drawn architectural ornaments.]]> ___]]> The Age of Reason, Special Collections recently obtained his The Rights of Man (1792), a controversial work written as an answer to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France. Paine was an advocate of republicanism and this work contains his belief that men had ‘natural rights’. He also urged that individuals had every right to free themselves from governmental tyranny. Such seditious talk caused Paine to be labelled an outlaw in England; he was forced to flee to France.]]> Thomas Paine ]]> Notorious Frauds of the Romish Priests and Jesuits (1692) is but one title received. This ‘rant’ was anonymously penned by politician Sir William Waller (1639-1699), a reprint of his earlier Tragedy of Jetzer (1680). Waller was himself a ‘notorious’ anti-Catholic. This 4th edition copy is of particular interest. It was once owned by a 17th century female reader – ‘Jane Gray, 1695’ – and there are only two surviving copies: one at Otago; the other at the British Library.]]> [Sir William Waller]]]> Almanzor and Almahide, or, The Conquest of Granada (1735), were much sturdier. Dryden’s heroic tragedy was first staged from December 1670 to January 1671 and eventually printed in 1672. ‘Pretty, witty Nell’ Gwyn, Charles II’s mistress, played Almahide.]]> John Dryden]]> A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1796), Special Collections secured a 2nd edition of William Godwin’s Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness (1796), a work that openly attacked political institutions. Godwin (1756–1836), a radical philosopher who believed that humanity will inevitably progress, married Wollstonecraft in 1797. In the third person, he wrote in the Preface: ‘It is now twelve years since he became satisfied that monarchy was a species of government essentially corrupt. He owed this conviction to the political writings of Swift and to a perusal of the Latin historians.’ Godwin remains an influential figure in 18th century British literature and literary culture.]]> William Godwin]]> Richard S. Prather]]> Thomas Blanchard Dewey]]> Brett Halliday]]> Lawrence Block]]> Lawrence Block ]]> Lawrence Block]]> Piet Schreuders and Kenneth Fulton]]> Mickey Spillane]]> Stephen King]]>