Blake William

1797 · rif. 6888 — London: R. Noble for R. Edwards 1797. First Edition. First Edition. Folio 16 1/4 x 13 inches. Bound in contemporary burgundy straight-grain morocco with triple gilt fillet and wide Greek key border in blind spine in compartments tooled in blind with five raised bands in gilt. Blake's inimitable illustrative interpretations of Edward Youngís philosophical and poetic meditation on death immortality and the soulís journey. In his preliminary work for "Night Thoughts" William Blake created 537 large watercolors and 43 of these were engraved and included in the published work. Blake brought a visionary symbolic dimension to the work infusing the illustrations with dramatic often apocalyptic imagery that expanded rather than merely echoed the text. His art introduced themes of cosmic struggle and spiritual awakening aligning Youngís moral reflections with Blakeís own mythic universe. Four engraved part-titles and 39 full-page illustrations by William Blake after his own designs around letterpress text. This copy without letterpress 'Explanation' leaf as often is the case. Some very light offsetting from plates as usual some plates slightly shaved at edges covers slightly rubbed and scuffed particularly spine ends and corners a couple of small gouges to lower cover endpapers with prior fold marks. Internally near fine. R. Noble for R. Edwards unknown