Contents - BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD - INDEX TO CHAPTERS - INDEX TO BIBLIOGRAPHIES - INDEX TO AUTHORS

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume XI. The Period of the French Revolution.

IX. Blake

Bibliography

A full bibliography of Blake’s works is in preparation by Mr. Geoffrey Keynes.

I. MANUSCRIPTS AND ORIGINAL ISSUES

A. MSS.

Seven-page MS., without title or date, containing two prose fragments, the first and longer ptd. by W. M. Rossetti as irregular verse in The Monthly Review (August, 1903), under the title of The Passions. The remaining fragment has never been ptd. as a whole.

[An Island in the Moon]. MS. without title or date: circa 1784. Ptd. by Ellis, E. J., The Real Blake, pp. 67–82.

Tiriel, MS. by Mr. Blake. n.d; circa 1788.

The Four Zoas. The Torments of Love and Jealousy in the Death and Judgment of Albion, the Ancient Man, by William Blake, 1797. This is the revised form, made circa 1800. In the earlier version (1797), the title-page read: Vala or The Death and Judgment of the Ancient Man. A Dream of Nine Nights by William Blake, 1797.

Rossetti MS., also known as the MS. Book, or, less correctly, as Ideas of Good and Evil. Originally a sketch-book, it was used, from time to time during a period of some eighteen years, for the transcription or drafting of verse and prose. The principal literary contents, in chronological order, are (1) certain of the Songs of Experience and lyrics of the same period (1793–4); (2) longer and more definitely symbolic poems, and epigrams on art and artists (1800–3); (3) prose entries: Advertisement to Blake’s Canterbury Pilgrims from Chaucer, containing anecdotes of Artists, printed as Public Address by D. G. Rossetti. For the year 1810: Additions to Blake’s Catalogue of Pictures etc., which Rossetti has renamed A Vision of the Last Judgment; (4) The Everlasting Gospel (circa 1820).

A full bibliographical description of the Rossetti MS. is given in Blake’s Poetical Works, ed. John Sampson, Oxford, 1905.

Pickering MS., containing fair transcripts of ten poems, written circa 1800–4.

See Sampson, op. cit.

Important matter is found in Blake’s marginalia to the following works:

Swedenborg. The Wisdom of Angels concerning Divine Love and Wisdom. Edn. of 1788. Ptd. Ellis, E. J., The Real Blake, pp. 109–115.

Lavater’s Aphorisms. Edn. of 1788. Ellis, pp. 123–151.

Reynold’s Discourses. 3 vols. 1798. Ellis, pp. 371–396.

Bacon’s Essays. 1798. Gilchrist, vol. I, pp. 267–9.

Wordsworth’s Poems. End. of 1815. Ellis, pp. 415–419.

Dr. Thornton’s pamphlet on the Lord’s Prayer. 1827. Ellis, pp. 365–7.

B. Works printed by Blake’s method of relief-etching, unless otherwise stated

There is No Natural Religion.

No perfect copy of this work is known. W. Muir in his facsimile has rearranged the plates of the copy in the Print Room of the British Museum, and an imperfect set formerly in his own possession, combining them into a tractate in two parts. Sampson (Blake’s Poetical Works. Oxford edition, 1913) follows the same arrangement in the main.

All Religions are One.

A series of plates in the possession of the Linnell family, with the title-plate supplied from the set formerly owned by W. M. Muir: see Sampson, op. cit. pp. xxvi–xxviii.

Songs of Innocence. 1789. The Author and Printer W. Blake.

The Book of Thel. The Author and Printer Willm. Blake, 1789.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. No date, but apparently written in 1790.

A Song of Liberty. No date, circa 1792.

Visions of the Daughters of Albion. The Eye sees more than the Heart knows. Printed by Willm. Blake, 1793.

America, a Prophecy. Lambeth. Printed by William Blake in the year 1793.

Songs of Experience. 1794. The Author and Printer, W. Blake.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. No date, but circa 1794.

Europe, a Prophecy. Lambeth. Printed by Will. Blake, 1794.

The First Book of Urizen. Lambeth. Printed by Will. Blake, 1794.

The Book of Los. Lambeth. Printed by W. Blake, 1795. Etched text.

The Book of Ahania. Lambeth. Printed by W. Blake, 1795. Etched text.

The Song of Los. Lambeth. Printed by W. Blake, 1795.

Milton, a Poem in 2 Books. The Author and Printer W. Blake. 1804. To Justify the Ways of God to Men.

Jerusalem, the Emanation of the Giant Albion, 1804. Printed by W. Blake, Sth Molton St. In both Milton and Jerusalem, the date on the title-page, 1804, relates to the commencement, not to the completion of the labour of engraving.

For the Sexes. The Gates of Paradise. No date. [1805–10.] A number of verses accompanying a revised issue of the earlier plates For Children. The Gates of Paradise, 1793. The symbolism of the verses is similar in character to that of Jerusalem.

[Laocoon Aphorisms], detached sentences written about a line-engraving of the Laocoon. No date, circa 1818.

On Homer’s Poetry. On Virgil. No date, but clearly the product of Blake’s latest period.

The Ghost of Abel, A Revelation In the Visions of Jehovah Seen by William Blake. Colophon: 1822. W. Blake’s Original Stereotype was 1788.

C. Works printed in ordinary type

Poetical Sketches. By W. B. London, Printed in the Year M DCC LXXX III.

The French Revolution. A Poem, in Seven Books. Book the First. London: Printed for J. Johnson, No. 72, St. Paul’s Church-yard. M DCC XCI.

A Descriptive Catalogue of Pictures, Poetical and Historical Inventions. Painted by William Blake, in Water Colours, Being the Ancient Method of Fresco Painting Restored: and Drawings, For Public Inspection, and for Sale by Private Contract. London: Printed by D. N. Shury, 7, Berwick-Street, Soho, for J. Blake, 28, Broad-Street, Golden Square, 1809.

Works lost or not identified:

Outhoun. See Gilchrist’s Life, vol. II, p. 262.

Barry: a Poem. Cf. Rossetti MS., p. 60.

Book of Moonlight. Ibid. p. 46.

II. MODERN EDITIONS

Songs of Innocence and Experience, with a preface containing a memoir of Blake by Wilkinson, J. J. Garth. 1839.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Facsimile by Hotten. 1868.

The Poems of William Blake, comprising Songs of Innocence and of Experience, together with Poetical Sketches and some copyright poems not in any other edition. [Ed., with an introduction, by Shepherd, R. H.] 1874.

The Poetical Works of William Blake, Lyrical and Miscellaneous. Ed. with a Prefatory Memoir by Rossetti, William Michael. 1874.

Jerusalem, the Emanation of the Giant Albion. Pearson’s facsimile. 1877.

There is No Natural Religion. Songs of Innocence. Songs of Experience. The Book of Thel. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Visions of the Daughters of Albion. America, Europe. The First Book of Urizen. The Song of Los. Milton. The Gates of Paradise. On Homer. On Virgil: reproduced in facsimile by Muir, W. 1884–90.

The Book of Ahania. Facsimile by Griggs, W. 1892.

The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic, and Critical. Ed. with Lithographs of the Illustrated Prophetic Books and a Memoir and Interpretation by Ellis, E. J. and Yeats, W. B. 3 vols. 1893.

Selections from the writings of William Blake with an introductory essay by Housman, Lawrence. 1893.

The Poems of William Blake. Ed. by Yeats, W. B. [The Muses’ Library.] 1893.

The Prophetic Books of William Blake. Jerusalem. Ed. by Maclagan, E. R. D. and Russell, A. G. B. 1904.

The Poetical Works of William Blake. A new and verbatim text from the manuscript, engraved, and letterpress originals, with variorum readings and bibliographical notes and prefaces by Sampson, John. Oxford, 1905.

The Lyrical Poems of Blake: text by Sampson, J., introduction by Raleigh, Walter. Oxford, 1906.

The Poetical Works of William Blake, ed. and annotated by Ellis, Edwin J. 2 vols. 1906.

The Prophetic Books of William Blake. Milton. Ed. by Maclagan, E. R. D. and Russell, A. G. B. 1907.

Die Ethik der Fruchtbarkeit. Selections from Blake’s works translated into German by Taube, Otto von. Jena, 1907.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Ed. Stokes, F. G. 1911.

The Poetical Works of William Blake, including the unpublished French Revolution, together with the Minor Prophetic Books, and Selections from the Four Zoas, Milton, and Jerusalem. Ed. with an Introduction and Textual Notes by Sampson, John. Oxford, 1913.

III. BIOGRAPHY AND CRITICISM

Beeching, H. C. Blake’s Religious Lyrics. Essays and Studies by Members of the English Association. Vol. III. 1912.

Benoit, F. Un Maître de l’Art. Blake le Visionnaire. Lille, 1906.

Berger, P. William Blake; Mysticisme et Poésie. Paris, 1907.

Blake, W. Letters, together with a life by Tatham, Frederick, ed. by Russell, A. G. B. 1906.

Brooke, Stopford A. Studies in Poetry. 1907.

Ellis, E. J. The Real Blake, a Portrait Biography. 1907.

Elton, Oliver. A Survey of English Literature, 1780–1830. 2 vols. 1912.

Garnett, Richard. William Blake, Painter and Poet. Portfolio, No. 22, 1895.

Gilchrist, Alexander. Life of Blake. 2 vols. 1863. 2nd edn. 1880. New edn. 1906.

Hewlett, Henry E. Imperfect Genius: William Blake. Contemporary Review. Vol. XXVIII, pp. 756–784. 1876.

Kassner, R. Die Mystik, die Künstler, und das Leben. Leipzig, 1900.

Moore, T. Sturge. William Blake and his Aesthetic. Art and Life. 1910.

Russell, A. G. B. The Engravings of William Blake. 1912.

Saintsbury, George. A History of English Prosody. Vol. III. 1910.

Selincourt, Basil de. William Blake. 1909.

Story, A. T. William Blake. His Life, Character, and Genius. 1893.

Swinburne, Algernon Charles. William Blake: a Critical Essay. 1868. New edn. 1906.

Symons, Arthur. William Blake. 1907. The authoritative life of Blake, with criticism, and reprints, from the following contemporary sources, of entries concerning Blake: H. C. Robinson’s Diary and Reminiscences; B. H. Malkin’s A Father’s Memoirs of his Child, 1806; Lady Charlotte Bury’s Diary, 1820; as well as J. T. Smith’s Biographical Sketch in the second volume of Nollekens and his Times, 1828; and Allan Cunningham’s Life in his Lives of the most eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, 1830.

Thomson, James [B. V.]. Essay on the Poems of William Blake, appended to his Shelley, a poem. 1885. Rptd. in Biographical and Critical Studies. 1896.

Wicksteed, J. H. Blake’s Vision of the Book of Job. 1910.

Yeats, W. B. Ideas of Good and Evil. 1903.