Milton, a poem in 2 books Pl.01
19th century
William Blake created this striking title page for his epic poem 'Milton' around 1804, featuring a muscular, nude figure seen from behind as he steps boldly into a swirling, cloudy void. The gold lettering announces the work and declares Blake as both 'Author & Printer,' highlighting his unique method of illuminated printing where he etched text and images onto copper plates himself. The phrase at the bottom, 'To Justify the Ways of God to Men,' is a famous nod to John Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' a work Blake admired deeply even as he sought to correct what he saw as Milton's theological errors. It’s a classic example of Romanticism’s focus on the individual hero and the sublime power of imagination.
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