"Blake is acclaimed as one of the greatest poets and artists; he is also a fascinating figure in English history. He devised a unique method of self-publishing that combined written text and illustration on the same copperplate. The resulting 'illuminated books', which he printed and coloured himself with the help of his wife, mostly sold in small numbers within a network of admirers. Blake's chief artistic breakthroughs were little known in his lifetime, but from the nineteenth century onwards followers such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti helped to establish his reputation as an artist of outstanding vision and power." "This book explores Blake's creative life and includes interesting anecdotal stories relating to his childhood, married life, his various patrons, and his many sources of inspiration. Illustrated here are some of the best of Blake's books, prints, drawings and illustrations from the collection of the British Museum."--Jacket.