The Song of Los.
1975. London: Trianon Press, 1975.
4to, 8 plates and 10 pp. of commentary. Original quarter brown morocco, marbled boards and slipcase. A fine copy.
§ Limited to 400 numbered copies bound in quarter morocco, this is #278. There were also 32 deluxe copies and 26 hors commerce for a total edition of 458. One of the richest and most elaborate Trianons. Bentley, Blake Books, A137.
"The eight plates of The Song of Los were produced in 1795... Divided into sections entitled "Africa" and "Asia," The Song of Los is the last of Blake's "Continental Prophecies" [preceded by America (1793) and Europe (1794)]. Blake abandons direct references to contemporary events to pursue the junctures among biblical narrative, the origins of law and religion, and his own developing mythology. Adam, Noah, Socrates, Brama, Los, Urizen and many others represent both historical periods and states of consciousness. The loose narrative structure reaches towards a vision of universal history ending with apocalyptic resurrection." (The William Blake Archive)
The Song of Los survives in only six known copies, all held by institutions. The remarkable Blake Trust Trianon Press Blake facsimiles, hand-colored using pochoir with extraordinary fidelity, are for most of us the nearest possible thing to handling the original book. Martin Butlin noted in the Blake Quarterly: “The long list of color facsimiles produced by the Trianon Press under Arnold Fawcus for the William Blake Trust were above all objects of beauty, recreating as near to perfection as possible Blake’s original achievements.” Bentley, Blake Books, 34. Item #125246
Price: $425.00