TWENTY-SEVEN DRAWINGS
by WILLIAM BLAKE

BEING ILLUSTRATIONS FOR
PARADISE LOST, COMUS
and THE BIBLE
CARL J. SMALLEY
McPHERSON
KANSAS

Copyright, 1925, by Carl J. Smalley
McPherson, Kansas
Published in November, 1925
Of this edition 1050 copies
were printed
Printed by The Western Lithograph Co.
at Wichita, Kansas
In the United States of America

FOREWORD

William Blake was born in London in 1757, and in 1827 he departed for “that undiscovered country” which all his life he had wished to see. Throughout the century which has passed since Blake’s death, much has been written about him. During the past few years a goodly number of our greatest men of letters have issued books on his life, art, and writings. Many of his writings have gone through several editions, but it was only within the past year that his complete works were issued, and that in a limited edition, which was soon off the market. While from time to time volumes of reproductions of a part of Blake’s masterly engravings and drawings have been issued, a large portion of his finest creations, including the “Paradise Lost” series, has not been accessible in reproductions.

It is a pleasure to be able to present in this volume, the “Paradise Lost” drawings, as well as the series for Milton’s “Comus”, and a group inspired by “The Bible”. All are reproduced from water color drawings in American museums.

We are indebted to the Fogg Art Museum for the privilege of reproducing “The Angel Binding the Dragon”; to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for “She Shall be Called Woman”, “The Flight into Egypt”, “The Wise and Foolish Virgins”, and “The Angel of the Revelation”. All the remaining drawings have been reproduced through the kind permission of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

C. J. S.