G.E. Bentley Blake Collection Victoria University, E.J. Pratt Library Subjects Blake, William; Flaxman, John; Linnell, John; Tresham, Henry; Cumberland, George; Fuseli, Henry; Stothard, Thomas History The collection was acquired from Gerald Eades Bentley Jr. in 2005. Description The Bentley collection has been described by Blake scholar and collector Robert Essick as “one of the three most important Blake collections, institutional or private, formed in the second half of the twentieth century”.The collection includes original Blake manuscript and prints, Blake's contemporary commercial engravings plus modern reproductions and facsimiles, the manuscripts and drawings of Blake's close friend George Cumberland, books by John Flaxman, illustrated books before 1835, and Blake scholarship and criticism. Language English. Holdings 2500 monographs, 310 pamphlets, 5 serials, 15 art originals, 50 art reproductions, 65 manuscripts, 11 posters. Bibliographic Access The collection is catalogued and items can be searched for through the University of Toronto catalogue. There are catalogues of the collection in pdf and html formats at:http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/special/bentley/blake_collection.htm. Physical Access The collection is housed in a special collections area. Materials are available to the public with identification. For further information visit: http://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/special/index.htm Interlibrary Loan: At the discretion of the librarian. Reprography: At the discretion of the librarian. Reference Assistance: Yes. Publications Describing Collection William Blake & his contemporaries : an exhibition selected from the Bentley Collection at Victoria University : Victoria University Library, Toronto, October 30-December 15, 2006.Remember me! : Blake in our time : a keepsake book in celebration of an exhibition and symposium on the life and art of William Blake (1757-1827), Victoria University, Toronto. [Toronto, Ontario] : Pagewave Graphics, c2010 .Bentley, G.E. Jr. . Bibliomania: The Felicitous Affliction and the Comforting Cure (1). Papers of the Bibliographic Society of Canada 45.1 (Spring 2007) : 7-42.