William Blake. The drawings for Dante’s Divine Comedy Hardcover – December 5, 2014

This gargantuan book (18' x 13" x 3"), printed on beautiful heavy paper and printed in Italy, is a feast for the eyes and mind. The Blake reproductions are only shy a few inches from the originals, making every detail clearly visible. Not only Blake's illustrations, but others from early frescoes and manuscripts to Rodin's monumental bronze doors are also included. The articles are fascinating and well-written (and translated) and the whole production could not be improved upon. Money very well spent!

The other reviewers have already mentioned this, but I'll just underscore what they say: the production values are top-notch, the reproductions are beautiful. Even if you have one of the other editions, this edition is absolutely indispensable for any lover of Blake's art and thought.

Beautiful book

Browsing through this book is a fantastic way to spend time. The illustrations are breathtaking. They make me want to write hyperbole in the most positive way EVER.

Beautiful large book

Wonderful product, wonderful price, Great packaging. Arrived without a dent!

Beautiful, well researched book. Worth much more than its price.

beautiful book.

The delicacy and translucence of Blake's colouring means that his series of watercolour illustrations (including those for Night Thoughts and The Poems Of Thomas Gray) have not been readily available to readers at home despite being some of his most important works. This large format clothbound edition of the illustrations to The Divine Comedy therefore brings the full power of Blake's work to a general readership for almost the first time. 'Affordable' is a word that means different things to different people, but at the price this lavish book almost counts as a bargain.The illustrations are printed on a heavy, textured paper that is almost completely unreflective. Where more space is required, foldouts are used and, while these mean that you have to put up with visible folds, they are still preferable to diminishing the size of the reproductions. Images range from complete works to faint pencil sketches such as 'The Spiral Stairway' but even the vaguest of sketches has its force.The commentary focuses almost entirely on placing the illustration in its context in Dante's poem, missing an opportunity to give any insight into Blake's work methods, but Schütze is good at pointing out elements that are incomplete or easily missed. The text is also very sympathetically set, given the book substantial browsing pleasure.Overall, a wonderful piece of printing and a must-own item for anyone with more than the most casual interest in Blake.

This volume demonstrates in dramatic fashion that reports of the death of the printed book are somewhat premature. First the contents - anyone interested in William Blake and/or painted art in general would be foolish not to acquire this magnificent volume. Some of Blake's most accomplished work is beautifully reproduced here and intelligently annotated in detail. The book itself is an incredible production for a commercial press (or any other kind of press, for that matter). The binding is canvas, and both the illustrations and the text are printed on textured art paper (no easy task, technically). Both the text and the reproductions are exquisite. View the pictures under natural light - it's like having the originals in front of you. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK.

A great image-maker’s view of a great poet’s writing. Well-produced images, clear no-nonsense text – superb value for money!

Simply excellent.. cheap at twice the price.

a superb book