Beschreibung:

YOUNG, Edward (1683-1765) and William BLAKE (1757-1827, illustrator). The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts , London: R. Noble for R. Edwards, 1797. 2° (410 x 315mm.), 'Explanation' leaf, 4 engraved part-titles and 39 etched and engraved pictorial borders by and after Blake (occasional light spotting, lower edges of later leaves slightly ink-marked, some leaves cropped with slight loss), near contemporary straight-grained morocco gilt with rear endpaper watermarked 1818, covers panelled in blind with borders of gilt floral rolls, spine gilt in compartments, gilt turn-ins (covers rubbed and stained, extremities scuffed), g.e. FIRST EDITION ILLUSTRATED BY BLAKE. Young wrote The Complaint, and The Consolation or Night Thoughts in the 1740's, and when this illustrated edition was published by Richard Edwards his poetry was still extraordinarily popular -- Robespierre is known to have kept a copy under his pillow throughout the French Revolution -- whereas Blake was a 38 year old engraver known to only a few. Although he set out to illustrate all nine of the "Nights," and completed 537 watercolour designs in less than two years, this volume, containing the first four parts of the poem with 43 of his designs, was the only one to appear. The cost of the project, which involved the separate printing of the text and the plates, was evidently too great, and the powerful illustrations perhaps conveyed a sense of mortality and transience that was a little too strong for contemporary taste. The present copy contains the 'Explanation' leaf -- which is frequently lacking -- and is a little taller than usual, although, as often, the extremities of some leaves have been close trimmed. As Bentley notes, "the paper was only marginally larger than the copperplate, and even in untrimmed copies ... parts of the platemark may not appear." Bentley 515; Brunet V, 1509; Lewine p. 67.