Blakes Songs of Innocence & Experience, 2004

21st Editions.

First edition. No 857 of an edition of 915. Red Cloth, square quarto, illustrated throughout with photographic plates. Red cloth with photographic plate in laid on front board; housed in white clam shell slipcase. Boldly signed by Witkin on front endpapers and on outside front of the slipcase. In original shipping cardboard. Fine copy. Almost spotless.

Photographs by Joel-Peter Witkin, poems by William Blake with an Introduction by John Wood. Illustrated with both colour and B&W photographs. A dark and disturbing view of Blake’s poetry, as illustrated with Witkin’s unique imagery. “This is an imagery of monsters, miracles, deformities, domination, death, the darkest sexuality — and a strange and powerful beauty as well.” [from the introduction] The plates were printed in a ten-colour offset process, exhibiting a remarkable tonal quality.