Lucid and absorbing . . . [with] an attractive hint of a secret passion [and] an unusual sense of ease and intimacy with Blake's work. -Michael Wood, New York Times Book Review [An] excellent book, . . . [aiming] to be introductory in the best sense: 'to help nonspecialists appreciate Blake's profoundly original vision and . . . ... Read morethe symbols in which he conveyed it.' . . . Scores of illustrations and color plates give us a small portion of Blake's countless prints, engravings and watercolor designs, and his career is treated with admirable fullness. -William Pritchard, Wall Street Journal Wise and original. -Rosie Schaap, New York Times Magazine An outstanding book . . . [combining] learned analysis with a warm and conversational style. . . . [Its] primary distinction . . . is its intricate analysis of the relation between Blake's verse and his vivid paintings and etchings - beautifully reproduced here in abundant color plates and illustrations. -Michael Lindgren, Washington Post Damrosch's readings are nuanced, sensitive, and deeply perceptive, touched with wonder at the poet's originality and alive to the ways that Blake's beliefs presented 'a wide-ranging challenge to orthodox morality.' With generous illustrations, including a gallery of breathtaking full-color plates, Damrosch's study will build an appreciation among scholars and general readers alike for Blake's 'vast, complicated myth' and reinforce his place in the Western canon as a 'profound thinker' and creative genius 'not in a single art but in two.' -Publishers Weekly, starred review Damrosch captures Blake's creativity in all its complexity, bringing to life his work as a poet, engraver and painter in a revolutionary age. -Nicholas Roe, Literary Review Leans heavily on the poetry, etchings and engravings, the works illustrating the man . . . this attractive volume would make a delightful present. -Robert Carver, The Tablet This book is written in a very accessible style, is peppered with analogies and punctuated with dry wit . . . a very good read and a healthy addition to the subject. -St John Simpson, British Museum Magazine The book's strength in its sumptuous colour reproductions of Blake's artwork and in Damrosch's attentive reading of them. -Hilary Davies, The Tablet New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2015 Finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle award in the criticism category Shortlisted for the 2016 Christian Gauss Award given by the Phi Beta Kappa Society This astute, generously illustrated study is an excellent introduction to William Blake. It will help both new and experienced readers to understand Blake as poet, painter, engraver, printer-and as a person. -Andrew Lincoln, Queen Mary University of London Leo Damrosch's luminous new book on William Blake forsakes esoteric scholarship and addresses itself to the common reader who is invited to a festive celebration of the great English poet who was also an extraordinary visual artist and a profound and original thinker. -Harold Bloom Show Less