The first complete, full-color account of the iconic artist’s magnificent illustrations of Milton’s works, centered around the classic epic of the fall of humankind.

John Milton’s poetry played a pivotal role in the development of Blake’s imagination and iconoclastic career, helping to shape his creativity and artistic process and provoking many of his greatest achievements as an artist and writer.  

This ​​lavish volume showcases the artist’s illustrations for all of Milton’s major works as well as his own epic poem inspired by the poet. In accessible prose written for a wide audience, it traces Blake’s life and career as he struggled with Milton’s legacy and ideas, using them to articulate his own unorthodox interpretations of scripture and thus establish his place in the history of literature and art. Thematic sections explore Blake’s apocalyptic visions in his illuminated printing and poetry as prelude to the great Miltonic series of watercolors that dominated the second half of his career. In addition, the book provides an up-close look at Blake’s artistic methods, highlighting new findings about his creative process during the mysterious years of his so-called Dark Age, including his innovative use of gold and silver metallic paints and experimental watercolor techniques.

About The Author

Jennifer Tonkovich is the Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan Library & Museum. Sheelagh Bevan is the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Printed Books and Bindings at the Morgan Library & Museum. Rebecca Pollak is the Associate Paper Conservator at the Morgan Library & Museum. Iain Sinclair is a British novelist, essayist, poet, artist, and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.