03797cam a22005531a 4500 7886170 20250608020250.0 cr ||||||||||| 880721s1794 enka 000 0 eng 7886170 7 cbc premver u ncip 19 y-gencatlg 48031341 (DLC) 48031341 (OCoLC)18249672 DLC eng MeWC DLC PR4144 .E8 1794 PR4144 .J4 32 cm. Two additional impressions of the final plate (Keynes' plate 15, numbered 17 in this copy) are bound with another issue of Jerusalem, [18--]. NE2047.6.B55 A47 Contains four leaves containing six proof plates for Europe, a prophecy. These are for the etchings described by Keynes as tht title page and plates 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Cf. Keynes & Wolf, p. 80 (copy c). Blake, William, 1757-1827. Europe, a prophecy. Lambeth : Printed by Will. Blake, 1794. 18 plates : col. ill. ; 38 cm. LC copy printed in green, blue or brown on 10 leaves, from engraved plates containing both text and illustrations. Hand-colored. Leaves numbered in manuscript: 1-17. Imperfect: Plate iii (as described in Keynes) lacking. DLC Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection, 1806 Keynes, G.L. Bibliography of W. Blake (New York, 1921) 41E Keynes & Wolf, William Blake's illuminated books copy E The English poet, illustrator, and engraver William Blake (1757-1827) first published Europe, A Prophecy in 1794, one year after the appearance of his America, A Prophecy. In both books, Blake attempted to discern the pattern behind human history, and in particular in the momentous events occurring on both sides of Atlantic between the end of the American Revolution in 1783 and the outbreak of war between France and Great Britain in 1793. At first an enthusiast for the French Revolution, Blake saw a world of deprivation and misery emerging in Europe, as depicted in "Famine" (plate 9) and "Plague" (plate 10). The frontispiece (plate 1) includes one of Blake's best-known works of art, "The Ancient of Days," which depicts God the Father as a powerful figure, striking the Earth with a pair of compasses. Most of Blake's books were not published in the traditional sense but were printed for special commissions by private collectors or London booksellers. As a consequence, they are extremely rare. This copy, from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress, is one of only nine surviving copies of the work. World Digital Library. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. LC copy: Provenance: Bookplates of Thos. Gaisford and A. Edward Newton. DLC LC copy: signed binding: F. Bedford. DLC Gaisford, Thomas, 1779-1855, former owner. DLC Newton, A. Edward (Alfred Edward), 1864-1940, former owner. DLC Bedford, Francis, 1799-1883, binder. DLC Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Library of Congress) DLC England London Lambeth. Page view rbc0001 2013rosen1806 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/Rosenwald.1806 LAC knj 2019-12-17 update (1 card) LAC knj 2020-02-11 update (1 card) LAC ddw 2022-04-11 update (1 card) rsl 2019-12-17 pmpull scd rarebk/rosen rbc rbc/digital/rosen rbc/rosen rbc/rosendgt rbc/scd rblacfederal 20191217 wdl c-RareBook PR4144 .E8 1794 Copy 1 Rosenwald Coll OCLCREP