Songs of innocence and of experience
Subtitle: shewing the two contrary states of the human soul
Contributors: Blake, William, 1757-1827, illustrator, etcher, printer, colorist; Blake, Catherine Boucher, printer; Flaxman, John, 1755-1826, former owner; Flaxman, Ann, approximately 1760-1820, former owner; Denman, Maria, 1776-1861, former owner, recipient; Hooper, Edward William, 1839-1901, former owner; Warner, Mary Hooper, 1879-, former owner; Ruskin, John, 1819-1900, correspondent
Publisher: William Blake
Published: 1795
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 27
Other titles: Songs of experience
Notes: Unique copy. Songs of experience only.

Wholly engraved.

Includes combined title-page (undated) and t.p. for Songs of experience (dated 1794).

Plates produced through Blake's own process of relief etching. Date of printing taken from The William Blake archive. This copy was probably bought from Blake by John Flaxman in 1795, and given to Flaxman's wife Ann, who inscribed the t.p. "A. Flaxman". It was inherited, along with Ann Flaxman's uncolored copy of Songs of innocence, by Ann Flaxman's sister, Maria Denham. Lent by Maria Denham to John Ruskin, whose letter of thanks accompanies the copy. Disbound, perhaps for the 1891 Boston exhibition. Formerly sewn in blue grey wrappers, one of which remains. For complete provenance, see Keynes & Wolf, Bentley.

Printed in brown ink; colored; penned numbers, in black ink.

Cf. William Blake archive (online, viewed July 14, 2014): Songs of innocence and of experience (1789, 1794): electronic edition.

Keynes, G. Bib. of William Blake, 38, copy V

Keynes & Wolf. William Blake's illuminated books, Songs of innocence and of experience, copy O [v]

Bentley, G.E. Blake books, 139 (p. 364-432), copy O
Table of contents: title: 1. Combined t.p. for the Songs of innocence and of experience; title: 2. Frontispiece for Songs of experience; title: 3. T.p. for Songs of experience; title: 4. Introduction to Songs of experience; title: 5. Earth's answer; title: 6. The clod & the pebble; title: 7. Nurses song [for Songs of experience]; title: 8 & 9. The little girl lost; title: 9 & 10. The little girl found; title: 11. The tyger; title: 12. Infant sorrow; title: 13. The chimney sweeper [for Songs of experience]; title: 14. The garden of love; title: 15. The sick rose; title: 16. London; title: 17. My pretty rose tree. Ah! Sunflower. The lilly; title: 18. A poison tree; title: 19. A little boy lost; title: 20. The fly; title: 21. The human abstract; title: 22. The little vagabond; title: 23. A little girl lost; title: 24. The angel; title: 25. Holy Thursday [for Songs of Experience]; title: 26. The voice of the ancient bard; title: 27. To Tirzah.