Illustrations of the Book of Job. Invented and Engraved by William Blake

Anon

Editore: Methuen & Co, London, 1903

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Published: 1903. Previously dismissed as a madman, this 1903 edition of William Blake s 'Illustrations of the Book of Job' coincided with the 'Blake Revival'. Blake was rediscovered by the Edwardian generation as a prophet of imagination and a major figure of British Romanticism. The 'Illustrated Library of Plain and Coloured Books' allowed Edwardians to own a faithful representation of a work that had previously been a guarded secret of the wealthiest collectors. DESCRIPTION: Red cloth with white title plate to spine. Illustrated with twenty two plates with tissue guards. Replacement title plate loose to inside of front board Language: English Book Condition: Good. Light wear to sharp corners and edges. Small loss to upper spine end and further loss to title plate to cloth edge. Lightly pushed lower spine end. Minor marks to cloth. Tightly bound with spotted intact endpapers and strong hinges. Further spotting and foxing to front and rear fly pages, half and full title pages up to the first two plates. Foxing to some upper gutter edges [primarily plate 17] with occasional minor spots to other plates with the majority of plates clean. DJ Condition: No DJ. Size: 17.5cm by 10.5cm. BOOK RESUME: The Illustrations of the Book of Job consists of twenty-two intricate plates that represent the culmination of William Blakes career as a master engraver. Unlike a standard illustration of a biblical text, Blake reimagines the narrative of Job as a psychological and spiritual journey toward self-annihilation and rebirth. The plates follow Jobs transition from a state of pious, materialist legality through the horrors of loss and the Vision of Eliphaz, eventually arriving at a transformed understanding of the Divine. Each plate is surrounded by elaborate marginalia, additional sketches and biblical verses, that provide a secondary layer of symbolic meaning. This Methuen facsimile meticulously reproduces the scale and detail of the original 1826 engravings, including the iconic When the Morning Stars Sang Together, arguably the most famous image in British graphic art. AUTHOR: William Blake (1757-1827) was a visionary poet, painter, and printmaker whose work remained largely misunderstood during his lifetime, only to be recognized later as a peak of the Romantic Age. A rebel against the rationalism of the Enlightenment, Blake developed a complex personal mythology and an innovative technique of 'relief etching' to unite his poetry with his art. The Illustrations of the Book of Job, his final completed prophetic project, was commissioned by his younger friend John Linnell in the early 1820s. In these plates, Blake moved away from his earlier revolutionary fervour toward a profound, mystical exploration of human suffering and divine redemption. His influence remains a cornerstone of modern art and literature, inspiring everyone from the Pre-Raphaelites to the counterculture of the 20th century.

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• Titolo: Illustrations of the Book of Job. Invented and Engraved by William Blake
• Editore: Methuen & Co, London
• Data di pubblicazione: 1903
• Rilegatura: Hardcover
• Condizione: Good
• Condizione della sovraccoperta: No DJ