This generous selection from Blake's poems, prose, notebooks, marginalia, and letters is accompanied by many of Blake's illuminations for his own works, some in full color. The spelling and punctuation have been modified for greater intelligibility to modern readers.

Almost all of Blake's published writings are here, as well as most of his best shorter poems that remained in manuscript at his death, and much of his most energetic prose. Of Blake's major epics, Milton is printed in full, in its longest version; Jerusalem is represented by selection amounting to one third of the complete poem, and The Four Zoas by briefer excerpts. All the other poetic works are presented complete.