HAND-COLORED LIMITED FACSIMILE EDITION OF BLAKE’S SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE, ONE OF ONLY 50 COPIES

BLAKE, William. Facsimile of what is believe to be the Lasts Replica of the Songs of Innocence and of Experience executed by William Blake. London: Bernard Quaritch, 1893. Quarto, 20th-century three-quarter tan morocco. $2200.

Limited 1893 facsimile edition of Blake’s etched masterpiece, number 29 of only 50 hand-colored copies, signed by Introduction writer Edwin John Ellis.

Between 1789 and 1827, whenever Blake was out of engraving work and in want of money, he would tint and sell a volume of the Songs, which explains the wide variety of coloring in the volumes issued during this period. This facsimile edition initially reproduced the actual uncolored outlines as used by Blake as a template, but "in addition to the uncoloured issue there were fifty copies coloured by hand; these were executed by Mr. Laing, of Lavender Hill, S.W., after copy O of the original, and were retouched by Mr. Ellis" (Keynes 222). Bookplates, including one from noted collector John Arthur Brooke, whose collection of over 20,000 volumes was sold at Sotheby's in 1921.

Plates fine, text block expertly recased with endpapers and pastedowns lovingly retained; morocco spine mildly toned.