1739 – Paradise Lost – John Milton | 12 Full-Page Engravings & Famous Poetry

‘Paradise Lost’ follows the biblical story of the Fall of Man and the temptation of Adam and Eve. Milton himself states that purpose for this book was to “Justify the ways of God to Men”. It covers the characters Adam, Eve, and Satan, and the roles each played in the development of religious culture and idolatry.

It was critically acclaimed and well-received by many famed personalities, including Samuel Johnson who states.

“[Paradise Lost shows] Milton’s peculiar power to astonish…and he seems to have been well acquainted with his own genius, and to know what it was the Nature had bestowed upon him more bountifully than upon others: the power of displaying the vast, illuminating the splendid, enforcing the awful, darkening the gloomy, and aggravating the dreadful.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Paradise Lost. A Poem.
• Author(s): John Milton
• Publisher: London: Printed for a Company of Stationers
• Edition: 1739.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Size:  6.5 × 3.75 in (16.5 × 9.5 cm)
• Collation: 317, [43] pp
• Illustrations: 12 full-page engravings
• Contents Include:
  • An Account of the Life of Milton
  • Paradise Lost in Twelve Books
  • Index and Argument summary
• Reference(s): ESTC T 133921

Condition:

Good. Full leather binding shows rubbing and light scratches typical of age; corners and edges moderately worn. Text block secure. Pages generally clean with light toning. Plates in good shape.

Why Collect This?

• Early 18^th-century issue of Milton’s most famous work
• Includes twelve full-page engravings seldom complete

Item Number: #29695