The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (Special Illustrated Edition)
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Among the beautiful and striking illuminated books etched and printed by William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell stands out. Written in 1790 at the beginning of the French Revolution, it represents Blake’s first attempt to create a new system of art, poetry and philosophy, declaring himself on the side of the devils in a world that was being turned upside down. While perhaps lesser known than his Songs of Innocence and of Experience, it has strong echoes throughout pop culture, and is arguably more influential on later generations of writers, thinkers and even musicians, from Aldous Huxley drawing on it as a key text to opening the doors of perception, which in turn gave The Doors their name, through to figures as diverse as Salman Rushdie, Benjamin Britten, Olga Tokarczuk and Keith Haring.
Blake’s writing and art immediately draws the reader into a fantastical and surrealist landscape, where the protagonist converses with angels who have thrown their lot in with revolutionary hell, or chats with prophets and devils about the nature of God, the universe and everything.
The gloriously illustrated edition, which opens with a poem, and takes the form of prose thereafter, is both a spirited satire on religion and morality, and expresses Blake's essential wisdom and philosophy. Produced as a beautiful facsimile, with a new, illuminating introduction, this is a special and thought-provoking gift book.
International availability - Europe and the United States.
We have resumed some European and US shipping in line with new EU GPSR regulations and recent changes to US tariffs. Please see below for details on Customs and Tariffs. British Library Publications, including our subscriptions, are now available for order for customers across Europe and the United States.
We will continue rolling out our most popular products to these regions in stages. If you are browsing from Europe or the US, you can now see the products that are available for you to order.
We’re working hard to expand the offering, so the selection you see online will continue to grow as products are cleared for shipping.
Print on Demand Art Prints, Clothing, and accessories are shipped separately from the manufacturer, and are not included in any Shipping rates below.
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Our deliveries are now carbon neutral.
| Timescale | ||
| UK Standard* | £5.00 | 3 - 5 working days |
Please allow 7 working days from the time you place your order to contact us about undelivered orders.
*does not include custom prints or custom clothing.
Local pick up
Local pick up is free and allows you to buy online and collect your items from our shop in St. Pancras (London) or from Reception in Boston Spa.
*not available for custom prints or custom clothing/accessories.
London
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect from noon the following day (including weekends). Please ensure you check our opening times before coming to collect.
Boston Spa
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect between 2 - 4 working days, though this is usually quicker.
EU and Europe orders
Due to the new EU Regulation 2023/988 (GPSR), not all of our products will be available for you to order yet, we are working on rolling out a wider product range.
| Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £49.99 | £50 - £99.99 | £100 and Over | Timescale |
| Airmail | £ 15 | £ 25 | £ 36 | £ 45 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
Rest of the World orders
| Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £49.99 | £50 - £99.99 | £100 and Over | Timescale |
| Airmail | £ 20 | £ 30 | £ 40 | £ 50 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
International orders are shipped on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis.
Import duties and taxes such as Customs and Tariffs are payable by the customer upon delivery. These fees are the responsibility of the recipient and are not included in the purchase price or shipping cost. The British Library is not liable for these charges.
Orders returned due to non-payment of duties will be refunded for the product cost only, less any shipping fees incurred.
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