'Reading William Blake is not about careless readings but the most careful, brought to life by Makdisi's own beautiful and precise critical prose.' Shirley Dent, The Times Literary Supplement 'This is a brief introduction to Blake that novices and seasoned Blakeans alike will enjoy and learn from. … The book is a celebration of Blake rather than a critique. It ... Read morealways expresses the critic's own admiration and communicates this warmly to the reader. … It draws readers in, showing how puzzles and disjunctions can be productive, and how the play of children, reflections on the passage of time, artistic labor, ideas of eternity, and industrial work practices can be closely related in Blake's thought. It is a book that will succeed very well in starting readers on a journey.' Andrew Lincoln, Blake - An Illustrated Quarterly 'One of the main strengths of Makdisi's book - and a key reason as to why its approach is so clear and effective - is that the parameters of the project have been so carefully chosen. Makdisi anchors each of the chapters in a close reading of a poem from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, given that it is both accessible and widely available - and is also by far the most likely text with which any student of Blake will begin' … I will certainly be including Reading William Blake on my reading lists for students.' Katherine Fender, The BARS Review Show Less