His library was sold many years later: Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, 1916. Of works by William Blake, It contained the former Flaxman copy of Songs of Innocence, copy D, from which Muir’s facsimile was produced in 1884. Pearson also owned a copy of Poetical Sketches and a rather dubious-sounding water colour showing “a number of Nude figures being led captive by a Devil, and others following; the great head of a marine monster, in the mouth of which are several figures, etc.” (Sotheby's sale, lots 40, 41, 42).
Pearson's plans for the publication of Blake facsimiles executed by William Muir were advertised with a flyer, PROPOSAL | FOR THE | PUBLICATION OF THE PROPHETIC BOOKS | AND THE SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND | OF EXPERIENCE, BY W. BLAKE, in August 1884.
Muir’s master copies of the Blake Press America (1887), The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1885), The Songs of Innocence (1885), and The Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1885) were accessioned in September 1939 but are likely to have been in the possession of the John Rylands Library for some time before then.
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WRAPPER TITLE
Songs | of | Innocence | W Blake 1789
FACSIMILE TITLE PAGE
SONGS | of | Innocence | 1789 | The Author & Printer W Blake
PUBLISHER
Edmonton : Blake Press; for John Pearson
YEAR OF PUBLICATION
1884.
Later copies "for Bernard Quaritch, 1885".
COLOPHON
This Copy No [numeral] | was produced by | Wm Muir | Emily J. Druitt | J.D. Watts | Joseph B. Muir | Hannah T. Muir | from the Volume that | Blake gave to Flaxman | and is published by | Jno Pearson | 46 Pall Mall | London, W | 1884
DESCRIPTION
32 l : front, ill ; 29 cm.
CONTENTS
Introduction.—The shepherd.—The echoing green.—The lamb.—The little black boy.—The blossom.—The chimney sweeper.—The little boy lost.—The little boy found.—A cradle song.—The divine image.—Holy Thursday.—Night.—Spring.—Nurse's song.—Infant joy.—A dream.—On another's sorrow.—Laughing song.—The voice of the ancient bard.—Notice.—The little girl lost.—The little girl found.—The school boy.—Colophon.
NOTES
Illustrated t. p.; decorations and illustrations hand colored throughout.
A facsimile edition limited to 50 copies.
The last four plates "were not usually included by Blake among his Songs of innocence, but as they form part of the volume that he gave to Flaxman we are bound to give them here. They will appear again in their proper places among the 'Songs of experience' in our next volume in other colours".—NOTICE.
Made from copy D, originally owned by Blake’s close friend John Flaxman and sold in 1876 to John Pearson, who loaned it to Muir for this production. Includes an outline of Muir’s facsimile publishing “Programme” which shows that Innocence and Experience were priced at five guineas each.
RYLANDS
Accession number R83356
Pressmark Q 821.69 B581
Provenance Gift of W. Muir (?)
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DETAILED CONTENTS (Rylands copy)
[blank leaf]
front wrapper
PREFACE
[Pearson advertisement] (4 p.)
[blank leaf]
Muir’s note
PREFACE (duplicate)
facsimile (32 leaves)
[1, frontispiece]
[2, title page]
[3] Introduction
[4] The Shepherd [with enlarged detail]
[5] The Ecchoing Green
[6, continued]
[7] The Lamb [with enlarged detail]
[8] The Little Black Boy
[9, continued]
[10] The Blossom
[11] The Chimney Sweeper [with enlarged detail]
[12] The Little Boy Lost
[13] The Little Boy Found
[14] A CRADLE SONG
[15, continued]
[16] The Divine Image
[17] HOLY THURSDAY
[18] Night
[19, continued]
[20] Spring
[21, continued]
[22] Nurses Song
[23] Infant Joy
[24] A Dream [with enlarged detail]
[25] On Anothers Sorrow
[26] Laughing Song
[27] The Voice of the | Ancient Bard [with enlarged detail]
[28] Notice | The four Plates | which follow this page were | not usually included by | Blake among his Songs | of Innocence. But as they | form part of the Volume | that he gave to Flaxman, we | are bound to give them here. | They will appear again | in their proper places among | the ‘Songs of Experience’ in | our next volume in other colours. | Purchasers of both books will | therefore have before them Blake’s | earliest and latest colouring | to these plates.
[29] The Little Girl Lost
[30, continued] The Little Girl Found [with enlarged detail]
[31, continued]
[32] The School Boy
colophon
[blank leaf]
The Little Girl Lost (first plate, monochrome)
PREFACE (duplicate)
[blank leaf]
rear wrapper
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TEXT
[front wrapper, in ink] Flaxman Copy [in pencil] Mr Muir’s Master Copy 32pp. Blake’s [illegible]
[PREFACE, in pencil] Pearson sold the first 12 copies between Jany & May 1885 | Quaritch sold the remaining 38 between May 1885 | and Augt 1886 | [printed] PREFACE
To His Serene Highness | Prince Victor Hohenlohe-Langenburg Count Gleichen &c. &c. | Your Serene Highness | and | My kind Patron
This one of the most beautiful books in the English language owes its form to the poverty and obscurity of its author. His friends had enabled him to have his boyish poems printed and published in the usual way in 1783, but the result did not encourage them to repeat the favour in 1789.
Blake therefore, being denied access to moveable types, printed this book—Chinesewise, from fixed types made by himself—these types being copperplates etched in relief.—And he coloured the impressions afterward by hand.
The simplicity and clear-heartedness that shine in the verses and the delicate fancy that graces their ornaments produce a unique result.
Criticism becomes Eulogy in the presence of a thing so perfect and Eulogy, fearful of vulgarity, becomes Silence.
I am | Your Highness humble servant | Wm Muir | Edmonton 1885.
The original from which this copy is taken belongs to John Pearson Esq. of Redgate, Exmouth, and I take this opportunity of recording my thanks to him for the use of it.
[Pearson advertisement, printed pages mounted] PROPOSAL | FOR THE | PUBLICATION OF THE PROPHETIC BOOKS | AND THE SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND | OF EXPERIENCE, BY W. BLAKE. [etc.] [in ink] August 1884
[4 pp. prospectus, 1st issue, by JOHN PEARSON 46 PALL MALL LONDON. The list of works NOW READY includes The Visions of the Daughters of Albion and The Book of Thel.]
[Muir’s note, ink] Fifty copies of this Book (all numbered) were prepared and sold in 1885-6 @ £5-5-0 each.
Mr Pearson sold the first twelve copies between Jany and May 1885. The he retired from business “because he had made £20.000 and was content”—He introduced me to Mr Bernard Quaritch who continued the work. He received and sold the remaining 38 copies between May 1885 and August 1886. So completing the Edition.
The original, of which this is a very careful Copy, was made by Blake for his fried John Flaxman the Sculptor probably about 1794. Mr Pearson sold it in 1919. My recollection is that the price was £625, or perhaps £600.
[in pencil] I believe It is now in USA
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RELATED MATERIALS
“The Voice of the Ancient Bard.” Drawn in red pencil (or a very convincing lithographic facsimile) on Antique Note paper. Not coloured.—Essick Collection
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COMMENT
Beautifully and delicately coloured. The PROSPECTUS, in listing works NOW READY, notes that The Materials used in the production of the above are already destroyed. I presume this refers to the lithographic plates only. Obviously he didn’t destroy master copies and there is evidence of the retention of other working materials including entirely hand-made copies.
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CONTEMPORARY REVIEW
MR. PEARSON has sent us the third part of his reproductions of Blake’s words in colour, excellent facsimiles, tinted with admirable tact and taste by hand. The part is not inferior to its forerunners, and contains the names of the copyists employed. This is a well deserved tribute to their care and skill. The subject is The Song of Innocence, copied from the volume Blake gave to Flaxman.—THE ATHENÆUM, no. 2979 (29 November 1884), page 700.
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Further Reading
G. E. Bentley, Jr.—Blake Books : Annotated Catalogues of William Blake's Writings …and Scholarly and Critical Works about him.—Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.
David Pearson.—Provenance Research in Book History: a handbook.—London : British Library, 1994.
Catalogue of the valuable and interesting library formed during the past 40 years by Mr. John Pearson (sold in consequence of declining health), the Third Portion ... Tues. 7 Nov. 1916 and following day.—London : Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, 1916.
Personal communication from David W. Riley, Keeper of Printed Books, John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 17 October 1990.
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