uwmspeccoll:Staff Pick of the WeekMy staff pick this week is a facsimile of Jerusalem, The Eman
uwmspeccoll:Staff Pick of the WeekMy staff pick this week is a facsimile of Jerusalem, The Emanation of the Giant Albion, by William Blake, published in 1974 by Trianon Press in London in an edition of 558 copies and printed on Arches pure rag paper made to match the paper used by Blake. The original publication was made between 1804 and 1820. Blake printed his own books from plates on which he etched his own handwritten texts and illustrations. Occasionally he or his wife Catherine Boucher would hand water-color the prints. This text is the last of a series of poems known as his Prophetic Books; it is also Blake’s longest work. The Trustees of the William Blake Trust began creating facsimiles of William Blakes works with Trianon Press in 1950, with a different facsimile copy of this same text known as the Stirling copy (which we also hold), however it was printed in black and had more vibrant colors applied. This facsimile was produced after a copy from the collection of Lord Cunliffe. The Cunliffe copy is unique because it is printed in a light brown ink, and it is one of only two copies that were hand water-colored. The facsimile reproduces only the first quarter of the book. William Blake was self publishing at a time when there was very little interest in doing so. As a result there was little attention paid to William Blake’s works during his lifetime. Private presses’ would not gain traction until the Arts and Crafts movement nearly a lifetime after Blake. The rarity of Blake’s books make facsimiles like this important for the preservation, appreciation, and research of Blake’s work, especially before computers and digital images.Our copy is a donation from our friend and benefactor Jerry Buff. I may never see one of the original books (let alone flip through their pages) so I feel very lucky to have access to facsimiles like this in our collection. Thank you, Mr. Buff!– Teddy, Special Collections Graduate Intern. -- source link