Publications
The Life of William Blake, edited by Alexander Gilchrist, published 1863 (533 pp., London: John Lane The Bodley Head) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries View Online
Gilchrist on Blake, by Alexander Gilchrist and edited by Richard Holmes, published 9 January 2006 (320 pp., HarperCollins, ISBN-10: 0007111711 & ISBN-13: 9780007111718) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Part of a radical new series ? edited by Richard Holmes ? that recovers the great classical tradition of English biography. Gilchrist's ?The Life of William Blake' is a biographical masterpiece, still thrilling to read and vividly alive. This was the first biography of William Blake ever written, at a time when the great visionary poet and painter was generally forgotten, ridiculed or dismissed as insane. Wonderfully vivid and outspoken (one chapter is entitled ?Mad or Not Mad'), it was based on revealing interviews with many of Blake's surviving friends.
Blake conversed with spirits, saw angels in trees, and sunbathed naked with his wife ?like Adam and Eve'. Gilchrist adds detailed descriptions of Blake's beliefs and working methods, an account of his trial for high treason and fascinating evocations of the places in London, Kent and Sussex where he lived. The book ultimately transformed and enhanced Blake's reputation.
Blake conversed with spirits, saw angels in trees, and sunbathed naked with his wife ?like Adam and Eve'. Gilchrist adds detailed descriptions of Blake's beliefs and working methods, an account of his trial for high treason and fascinating evocations of the places in London, Kent and Sussex where he lived. The book ultimately transformed and enhanced Blake's reputation.