One of twelve bound in parchment and with hand-colored woodcuts
Genesis. Verses from a manuscript of William Blake
[Cummington, Mass.]: [1951-2]. Edition limited to 170 copies (this, out-of-series and unsigned, but see below) printed at the Cummington Press October 1951 to March 1952 by Wightman Williams "who cut the woodblocks, and Harry Duncan who set the type," 4to, pp. xxviii; printed in red, blue and black; original full parchment, gilt lettering on spine; publisher's slipcase; with an extra suite of 3 woodcuts and a title page in folder. One of the woodcuts in the extra suite is torn but without loss. From the library of Kim Merker, mentee of Harry Duncan. The first 12 of the edition, numbered I-XII, were issued on Umbria paper with hand-colored illustrations. Such is the case here even though this copy is unnumbered. This manuscript, 209 lines of blank verse described as item no. vii in the Keynes bibliography of Blake. "Translation, probably by Hayley, of the opening lines of Tasso's Le sette giornate del mondo creato ... Blake was merely the amanuensis" (Bentley, Blake Bibliography, 1964, p. 48). This is the last book printed at Cummington. Richmond 52. Item #61543
Price: $2,000.00
