Paradise Lost

"It was from out the rind of one apple tasted that the knowledge of good and evil, as two twins cleaving together, leaped forth into the world. And perhaps this is that doom which Adam fell into of knowing good and evil, that is to say, of knowing good by evil."
- from Milton's Areopagitica

In his epic work Paradise Lost, John Milton seeks "to justify the ways of God to men" through the familiar Christian story 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 inspiration for generations of writers, from the 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 edition the poem is presented with all 12 magnificent illustrations produced by William Blake specially for the work.