Rylands Blake project 9. Songs of Experience (1927)

Blake never issued Songs of Experience separately but always with his Songs of Innocence. Nevertheless there have been seven facsimiles of a separate Experience.

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1876.—Works by William Blake : Songs of innocence. 1789. Songs of experience. 1794. Book of Thel. 1789. Vision of the daughters of Albion. 1793. America: a prophecy. 1793. Europe: a prophecy. 1794. The first book of Urizen. 1794. The song of Los. 1794. Reproduced in facsimile from the original editions.—[London] : [Andrew Chatto, publisher].—144 leaves : ill. ; 39 cm.
“One hundred copies printed for private circulation.”
Monochrome facsimile printed by lithography and deriving from copy D (the British Museum copy).
Keynes notes that the lithographed plates are poorly executed, and that the text is inaccurate.

1885.—Songs of experience / Wm. Blake.--Edmonton : W. Muir.—1 v. : col. ill. ; 29 cm
Facsimile by William Muir.
Title from cover.
Limited ed. of 100 copies.



*1927.—Songs of experience / the author & printer W. Blake.—London : E. Benn.—28 unnumbered leaves : col ill, facsimiles ; 27 cm
Facsimile of the 1794 edition in the British Museum.
Printed on one side of the pages only.

1927.—The songs of experience / by William Blake, 1757-1827 ; facsimiled by Joseph Patrick Trumble, Sophia Elizabeth Muir and William Muir.—London : Bernard Quaritch.—[27] plates
From the Beaconsfield original in the British Museum (22 plates), with as an appendix, four plates from the other British Museum copy. Also one plate for which no colouring is known. (A Divine Image) which seems to belong to the Songs though not included in them by Blake.
At head of title page: Blake centenary 1927.


1935.—Fukusei Uiriamu Bureiku Mumyō no Uta / yakushi Jagaku Bunshō.—Kyōto : Kōjitsuan Shihan.—1 v. (half paged) : ill. (col.) ; 26 cm
Notes: Added title page in English: Songs of experience.
Poems in Japanese characters on lefthand page and facsimile of an edition of William Blake's poems in English on righthand side reprinted from an edition of Songs of Experience, the author & printer W. Blake, 1794.
Title on cover in English (copy of title page of 1794 edition) and on spine in Japanese.

1952.—Songs of experience / by William Blake.—New York : United Book Guild.—1 v (unpaged) : illus ; 18 cm
On cover: Songs of experience, as originally illustrated and written by William Blake.
Textual criticism at end signed Joseph H. Wicksteed.

1984.—Songs of experience : facsimile reproduction with 26 plates in full color / by William Blake.—New York : Dover.—42 pages : col. ill. ; 18 cm.
Originally published in Songs of innocence and of experience, ca. 1826.

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FACSIMILE TITLE PAGE
SONGS | of | EXPERIENCE | The Author & Printer W Blake

COLOPHON
This edition of BLAKE’S “SONGS OF | EXPERIENCE” is reproduced from a copy | in the British Museum, has been printed | and made in Great Britain, and was first | published in the year 1927 by Ernest Benn, | Ltd., Bouverie House, Fleet Street., London.

DESCRIPTION
[28] leaves : col ill ; 27 cm.
Printed on one side of the pages only.
Colour facsimile on Japanese vellum, fore-edges left rough.
Bound in black cloth, gilt design, uniform with same publisher’s facsimiles of Innocence and Job. Lettered on spine BLAKE’S SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.
Probably the “Experience” leaves from Copy A of Blake’s Songs.

RYLANDS
Accession number R62465
Pressmark 821.69 B 581
Provenance (bookplate)
Presented by | MRS. JOAN VAUGHAN | – | THE RICHARD HAWKIN GIFT.

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COMMENT
One of a group of facsimiles based on British Museum copies—presumably because they were the most accessible. The Rylands copy is missing its dust-jacket.