TWENTY-SEVEN DRAWINGS
by WILLIAM BLAKE

BEING ILLUSTRATIONS FOR

PARADISE LOST, COMUS
and THE BIBLE

CARL J. SMALLEY
McPHERSON
KANSAS

Copyright, 1925, by Carl J. Smalley
McPherson, Kansas

Published in November, 1925

Of this edition 1050 copies
were printed

Printed by The Western Lithograph Co.
at Wichita, Kansas
In the United States of America

FOREWORD

William Blake was born in London in 1757, and in 1827 he departed for“that undiscovered country” which all his life he had wished to see.Throughout the century which has passed since Blake’s death, much hasbeen written about him. During the past few years a goodly number of ourgreatest men of letters have issued books on his life, art, andwritings. Many of his writings have gone through several editions, butit was only within the past year that his complete works were issued,and that in a limited edition, which was soon off the market. While fromtime to time volumes of reproductions of a part of Blake’s masterlyengravings and drawings have been issued, a large portion of his finestcreations, including the “Paradise Lost” series, has not been accessiblein reproductions.

It is a pleasure to be able to present in this volume, the “ParadiseLost” drawings, as well as the series for Milton’s “Comus”, and a groupinspired by “The Bible”. All are reproduced from water color drawings inAmerican museums.

We are indebted to the Fogg Art Museum for the privilege of reproducing“The Angel Binding the Dragon”; to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for“She Shall be Called Woman”, “The Flight into Egypt”, “The Wise andFoolish Virgins”, and “The Angel of the Revelation”. All the remainingdrawings have been reproduced through the kind permission of the BostonMuseum of Fine Arts.

C. J. S.