Illustrated Editions of the Works of William Morris in English

William Morris (1834‐1896), of course, attracted many literary and artistic facets in the late Victorian world, faithfully embellishing all of them. Thus he was a painter, poet, craftsman, entrepreneur and evolutionary socialist. He was bluff, energetic and outspoken, deeply influenced by both Rossetti and Ruskin. Aesthetics, above all, dominated all his work and career. The Italian influence was strong, mediated largely by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but his definite social message illustrated the final challenge to the shortcomings of triumphant Victorian capitalism: preparatory for the social progress of the ensuing century.

Throughout his career William Morris explored the combination of rich...