'... provides clear examples of artistic networks stretching well beyond the capital, and how some major artistic projects were made possible by the support and collaboration of individuals living and travelling outside London... these aspects of Read's study are made all the more compelling as they are described and expressed in Read's meticulous, clear, jargon-free style, which makes for particularly satisfying reading.' Review of English Studies

'This is a valuable book, and the new information in it is likely to lead eventually to revision of key points of Blake's biography.' Blake: An Illustrated Quarterly

'... this is an important biography that increases our understanding about the world of commercial engraving and book and print publication and goes a long way to rescuing the historical Cromek from Blake and his biographers.' BARS Bulletin

'Dennis M. Read's book is an extensively-researched, well-written and very readable reassessment of the career of Robert Hartley Cromek.' Journal of the Printing Historical Society