Paradise Lost: a poem in twelve books Paperback - 2014

Name: Paradise Lost: a poem in twelve books
Price: 19.26 GBP
Availability: InStock
Author: Professor John Milton
ISBN: 9781495358920

by John Milton

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About this book

Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton, first published in 1667. Set against the backdrop of Adam and Eve's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, the poem explores complex themes of sin, free will, and the nature of evil. Milton skillfully crafts vivid imagery and powerful metaphors to depict Satan's rebellion against God, his subsequent expulsion from heaven, and his relentless pursuit of revenge. The narrative follows the interplay between God, Satan, and mankind, with Milton's eloquent verse conveying profound moral and theological reflections. Paradise Lost remains a timeless masterpiece, inspiring readers to contemplate the eternal struggle between good and evil.

First Edition Identification

John Milton’s Paradise Lost was firstly published in 1667, divided into ten books. In the 1674 edition was reorganized into twelve books.

The first edition of the poem was printed in London by S. Simmons. Simmons issued the first 1,200 copies of the edition over a few years, with varying title pages. By the time the 1,200 copies of the first run had sold out, seven different variations of the title page had been produced, bearing dates of 1667, 1668 and 1669. There is no known relationship between when a given copy of the text itself was printed, and the attached title page, making establishing priority difficult.

In 1668 Milton added a preliminary matter. These include “The Argument,” a description of the program of each of the books, and “The Verse”, where the author defends his use of blank verse.

First editions were bound in leather, spine paneled with gilt lettering, and gold gilt-edged pages.

Details

Title Paradise Lost: a poem in twelve books
Author John Milton
Binding Paperback
Pages 306
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Date 2014-01-28
ISBN 9781495358920 / 1495358925
Weight 0.99 lbs (0.45 kg)
Dimensions 9 x 6 x 0.69 in (22.86 x 15.24 x 1.75 cm)
Reading level 1360

About the author

John Milton (9 December 1608 - 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse.

Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644) - written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship - is among history's most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and freedom of the press.

William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the "greatest English author," and he remains generally regarded "as one of the preeminent writers in the English language," though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism). Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as "a poem which...with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind," though he (a Tory and recipient of royal patronage) described Milton's politics as those of an "acrimonious and surly republican".

Because of his republicanism, Milton has been the subject of centuries of British partisanship (a hostile account by Anthony Wood in 1691, a "nonconformist" biography by John Toland in 1698, etc).