<p>Born in London in 1757, William Blake soon showed evidence of his artistic talent. His father, a hosier, encouraged the boy&#39;s gifts, and Blake was apprenticed at 14 to the engraver James Basire, after which he began illustrating and printing his own works of poetry. First published in 1789, &#39;Songs of Innocence&#39; was followed four years later by &#39;Songs of Experience&#39;, with a combined edition reaching the bookstalls in 1794. The two collections explore the na&iuml;ve joys of childhood and the darker, more jaundiced view that life imposes as the infant grows to maturity. But Blake does not use this dichotomy to bemoan a sentimental loss of innocence; rather, he uses the poems to reveal the limitations of both views. Dark and evil forces do exist in the world and it is foolish to ignore them; but equally, joy and love pervade the Universe, and to deny their presence is equally undiscerning. In Blake&#39;s view, we need both to progress, a thesis that is explored in detail in his second work, &#39;The Marriage of Heaven and Hell&#39;. More than 50 colour illustrations, taken from the originals of both works, are scattered throughout the text, in accordance with Blake&#39;s own belief that his poems and paintings form an integral whole. These are works of great depth and discrimination, that reveal further levels of understanding - and greater insight into the mysteries of human existence - with each successive reading.</p>