Paradise Lost: A Poem Written in Ten Books

This is the first such presentation of the first edition of this major epic of English literature. Shawcross and Lieb have sought to underscore the significance of the epic as Milton originally conceived it. Indeed, the 1667 edition is, in many respects, a unique document. Constructed as a 10-book version, the edition is a finished piece that is architecturally and numerically balanced, significantly differing from the now-standard 1674 version that appeared in 12 books. With scrupulous attention to detail, Shawcross and Lieb examine the numerous changes to Milton's epic in the course of its printing and address the way in which so-called facsimile editions are, in fact, faulty because they offer texts that were either silently altered or are, in effect, composites of various textual states. This edition of the 1667 text also provides the opportunity to view the second edition of 1674 from a fresh perspective. Order this volume separately or with its companion volume, "Paradise Lost: A Poem Written in Ten Books: Essays on the 1667 First Edition" (9780820703931).