Poet, painter, and engraver William Blake died in 1827 in obscurity. Yet he has become one of the most anthologized and studied writers in English and one of the most studied and collected British artists. His urge to cast words and images into masterpieces of revelation has left us with complex, sometimes bizarre works of written and visual art that challenge plain understanding. The essays in this Companion, together with a chronology, guides to further reading, and glossary of terms, identify the key points of departure into Blake's multifarious world.