Visions of the Daughters of Albion

This landmark edition of William Blake's Visions of the Daughters of Albion provides the first full-size reproduction of the Huntington Library's copy of the work, printed and colored by Blake and his wife, Catherine, in 1793. Generally seen as a continuation of The Book of Thel, this relatively early work of Blake's offers a criticism of the sexual morals of his time, presenting its author's views on the evils of organized religion, on slavery, and on oppressed womanhood. Drawings related to Visions that Blake sketched in his Notebook, now held in the British Library, have been digitally enhanced in the reproductions in this edition and are visible for the first time.

Blake expert Robert Essick explains not just the text but also Blake's invention of the method he used to etch his poetry and designs. A plate-by-plate analysis of the images and text sets the enigmas of Blake's poetry in the clarifying contexts of his life and thought and of contemporary literature and politics.