In his epic work Paradise Lost John Milton seeks 'to justify the ways of God to men' through the familiar Christian myth of the fall from grace. The poem is imbued with Milton's profoundly individual view of man's place in the universe and his intellectual and spiritual quest for redemption in the face of despair. Since its creation Paradise Lost has provided the inspiration for generations of writers, from Romantic poets to Tolkien and, most recently, Philip Pullman in His Dark Materials trilogy. Countless generations of ordinary readers have similarly had their understanding of the darker nature of the human soul illuminated by this remarkable work. In this new edition the poem is presented with all 50 of the magnificent engravings produced by Gustave Doré specially for the work.
