How can the scattered, disparate archival records of William Blake’s life be synthesized into a definitive, chronological account of his professional and personal existence? G. E. Bentley, a preeminent scholar of Romanticism, compiles and annotates a vast array of primary source documents to reconstruct the material reality of the poet and artist's life. By organizing these records, the author provides a rigorous framework for understanding the economic, social, and legal conditions that shaped Blake's creative output.

Scholars and historians regard this work as a foundational reference for any serious study of William Blake. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a primary resource for researchers rather than a casual biography.