The Works of William Blake. Poetic Symbolic and Critical. Edited with Lithographs of the Illustrated "Prophetic" Books" and a Memoir and Interpretation by Edwin John Ellis and William Butler Yeats.

First edition, large paper edition. Three volumes. 4to. Original half brown morocco over green cloth, lettered and decorated in gilt after Blake on the spines, top edges in gilt. others untrimmed. London, Bernard Quaritch.

Blake’s reputation had been established by the 1890s, but there still had not been a full collected edition of his works published. William Butler Yeats and Edwin John Ellis took up the task and produced something of “great originality”. Not only did they issue Blake’s work at length, but they also undertook the “explanation of ‘The Symbolic System’ [which] occupied 185 pages, and the ‘Interpretation and Paraphrased Commentary’ another 300. And here, directed at a comparatively wide audience, were not only transcripts of the Prophetic Books but facsimiles of them as well.” (Bentley).   

Slight wear to the edges of the binding, and a little foxing, principally to the fore-edge and the first and last leaves.  

Stock Code: 221754