William Blake, "The First and Greatest Figures of Romanticism," (Blake 269) was born November 28, 1757, in London. Blake's father was a hosiery maker and Blake was the second of five children. Blake's education was very poor. He attended Henry Pars' drawing school and was apprenticed to an engraver for seven years. William Blake was an English poet, artist and philosopher. He combined writing and art through "illuminated printing" creating original pieces. William Blake, despite his poor education, continued to create very beautiful pieces. His only elementary education was the Henry Pars drawing school which he attended at the age of ten. He taught himself to read and write. Blake was apprenticed for seven years under James Basire. Because of Blake's querulous actions with the other apprentices, he was sent to design the monuments of Westminster Abbey. After his apprenticeship, Blake attended the Royal Academy as a student of printmaking. While there he disliked many professors, because he felt his talent was being wasted. Blake met and became friends with John Flaxman, Thomas Stothard and Henry Fuseli, all young artists. Without formal training in writing, Blake published his first collection of poems called Poetical Sketches, poems that contained "a freshness, a purity of vision, and a lyrical intensity unequaled by English poetry" (Blake 269). Shortly before Blake published his first collection, he married Catherine Boucher, “an illiterate daughter of a gardener” (Keynes 245). Catherine Boucher was the perfect wife for Blake even though she had no children. William Blake's poetry is known for its unique form called "illuminated print". This is where the poems are engraved... in the middle of the paper... the invention of the "illuminated press". Blake says that his brother revealed the method to him in a vision (Blake 269). William Blake used the illuminated printing process with the majority of his produced works. Blake's writings used various forms and styles and he developed philosophical, religious and intellectual ideas in a different way making him "remarkably original" despite his limited education. Works Cited “Blake, William.” The new Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. vol. 2. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002. 269-71. Print.Keynes, Geoffrey. "Blake, William." Collier's Encyclopedia. vol. 4. New York, NY: P. F. Collier, 1996. 245-47. Print.Shilstone, Frederick W. "Blake, William." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2004 ed. Print."William Blake." : The Poetry Foundation. Np, nd Web. October 29. 2013. .