The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts
Blake, William. Young, Edward
London. R. Noble. 1797
First edition of Blake's illustrations for Edward Young's Night Thoughts.
Night Thoughts is a key work in the Blake canon, executed at a crucial point in his career. Sometime in 1795 or 1796 Blake was comissioned by the publisher Richard Edwards to undertake the illustration of each page of Young's bestseller 'Night Thoughts'. It was intended to publish the whole poem of nine nights in installments accompanied by engravings based on Blake's drawings, but Edwards went out of business after the first volume consisting of 4 Nights and the project was never completed.
'Blake has undertaken to make designs to encircle the letter press of each page of Young's Night Thoughts, Edwards the Bookseller, of Bond Street employed him and has had the letter press of each page laid down on a large half sheet of paper. There are about 900 pages - Blake asked 100 guineas for the whole. Edwards said he could not afford to give more than 20 guineas for which Blake agreed. Fuseli understands that Edwards proposes to select about 200 from the whole to have that number engraved (by Blake) as decorations for a new edition.' (Blake Records).
Night Thoughts is a key work in the Blake canon, executed at a crucial point in his career. Sometime in 1795 or 1796 Blake was comissioned by the publisher Richard Edwards to undertake the illustration of each page of Young's bestseller 'Night Thoughts'. It was intended to publish the whole poem of nine nights in installments accompanied by engravings based on Blake's drawings, but Edwards went out of business after the first volume consisting of 4 Nights and the project was never completed.
'Blake has undertaken to make designs to encircle the letter press of each page of Young's Night Thoughts, Edwards the Bookseller, of Bond Street employed him and has had the letter press of each page laid down on a large half sheet of paper. There are about 900 pages - Blake asked 100 guineas for the whole. Edwards said he could not afford to give more than 20 guineas for which Blake agreed. Fuseli understands that Edwards proposes to select about 200 from the whole to have that number engraved (by Blake) as decorations for a new edition.' (Blake Records).
pp. (ii), viii, 95. Folio. (415 x 325 mm). Leaf with 'Explanation of the Engravings' recto and verso, printed title, advertisement (pp. iii - viii) and 43 leaves with engravings by William Blake surrounding the text; 21 of the leaves retain the publisher's imprints. Scarlet morocco-backed contemporary moiré cloth boards, gilt titles to front cover and spine.
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