The Grave, A Poem...

London: Printed By T.Bensley For The Proprietor, R.Ackermann, And Sold By Cadell And Davies, J.Johnson, T.PayneÖ, 1813 [i.e. Camden Hotten: 1870]. Third Edition, issued in 1870 by Camden Hotten. In addition to Blairís poem, the text includes a dedicatory poem to the Queen by Blake, an appreciation of Blakeís designs by his friend, the painter Henry Fuseli, and a description of the designs, probably by B.H.Malkin, as well as biographical sketches of Blair, Schiavonetti, and the publisher of the first edition (1808), Robert Hartley Cromek. Blake was bitterly disappointed that he was not permitted to etch his own designs in accordance with the original agreement which he had worked out with Cromek. Cromek had decided that Blakeís style of etching was too harsh and austere and chose instead to employ Louis Schiavonetti to execute the plates. Blakeís designs for The Grave are his best known and most popular work. The distinguishing features of the later issue are the folio format and unwatermarked paper, the blind-stamped cloth binding (not present here) and the faint evidence of removal of Spanish inscriptions from the plates which have restored English text. ìMy theory on that is that Camden Hotten, who produced the 1870 issues, not only got the copperplates from Ackermann (with the Spanish inscriptions for de Mora) but also some remainders of the impressions and letterpress and bound these up in a slightly differentÖfashion. He removed the Spanish on the coppers and had an engraver restore the 1813 English inscriptions, then printed for both the portfolio and the 1870 issue of the text with the engravings.î (Essick) Bentley & Nurmi 350C. Keynes 81. Lande p. 40. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 6A. folio. pp. 1 p.l., liv, 42. etched frontis. portrait of Blake by Louis Schiavonetti after a painting by T.Phillips & 12 etched plates by Schiavonetti after designs by William Blake (incl. additional title). A fine copy in modern cloth (light marginal soiling to a few leaves)