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Title
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John Milton, Paradise Lost (2004)
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Original Date:
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1807-1808
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Facsimile Date:
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2004
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Publisher:
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Arion Press
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Physical Description:
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13 plates ; 57 cm
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Background Information:
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In 2004 the Arion Press produced this portfolio of thirteen watercolor drawings by Blake as a companion to its previous, unillustrated edition of Paradise Lost, published two years earlier. The prints by Blake were the first facsimiles printed at full scale and in full color from the original paintings held at the Huntington Library, which are a combination of drawings made for two different patrons in 1807 and 1808. The copy of this portfolio at Union College includes a prospectus for the project. The rare book collection at Union also includes a copy of the unillustrated Paradise Lost, published by Arion in a limited edition in 2002.
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Student Commentary:
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Overview: John Milton (1608-1674) was an English poet and writer deeply involved in the politics of his day. Like Blake, he was known for having radical political opinions that he promoted with his pen. A strong supporter of Oliver Cromwell, Milton played various roles in – and as a critic of – the established government during the Civil War period. He is best remembered, however, for Paradise Lost, his long epic poem in blank verse about the fall of Satan and Adam and Eve’s journey through temptation and sin, which leads to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton’s powerful poetry made an early and strong impression on Blake and remained an inspiration for him throughout his life, although Blake directly challenged Milton’s outlook in his own illuminated work. Blake was commissioned to make watercolor illustrations for “Paradise Lost” by the Reverend Joseph Thomas in 1807 and, again a year later, by one of his chief patrons, Thomas Butts. – Caitlin Williams ‘18
