Life of William Blake

1880

Special Collections PR4146 GF19 1880

London, Macmillan and Co.

On first glimpse this second edition of Alexander Gilchrist’s classic biography on seer, poet and painter William Blake looks nigh perfect, for a work published 132 years ago. However, the binding has been repaired, with the entire Frederic Shields image – perhaps one of the finest examples of early Art Nouveau, and perhaps his most significant design – pasted on new blue cloth and boards. The gilt spine decoration has been treated the same. Shields (1833-1911) was closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, and an ardent worshipper of Blake. Note that the binder has left the edges of all the pages ragged and untrimmed.