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The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton
John Milton
Modern Library
November 2007
On Sale: November 13, 2007
1408 pages
ISBN: 0679642536
EAN: 9780679642534
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
John Milton is, next to William Shakespeare, the most
influential English poet, a writer whose work spans an
incredible breadth of forms and subject matter. The
Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton
celebrates this author’s genius in a thoughtfully assembled
book that provides new modern-spelling versions of Milton’s
texts, expert commentary, and a wealth of other features
that will please even the most dedicated students of
Milton’s canon. Edited by a trio of esteemed scholars, this
volume is the definitive Milton for our time. In these pages you will find all of Milton’s verse, from
masterpieces such as Paradise Lost–widely viewed as the
finest epic poem in the English language–to shorter works
such as the Nativity Ode, Lycidas, A Masque, and Samson
Agonistes. Milton’s non-English language sonnets, verses,
and elegies are accompanied by fresh translations by Gordon
Braden. Among the newly edited and authoritatively
annotated prose selections are letters, pamphlets,
political tracts, essays such as Of Education and
Areopagitica, and a generous portion of his heretical
Christian Doctrine. These works reveal Milton’s passionate
advocacy of controversial positions during the English
Civil War and the Commonwealth and Restoration periods. With his deep learning and the sensual immediacy of his
language, Milton creates for us a unique bridge to the
cultures of classical antiquity and medieval and
Renaissance Christianity. With this in mind, the editors
give careful attention to preserving the vibrant energy of
Milton’s verse and prose, while making the relatively
unfamiliar aspects of his writing accessible to modern
readers. Notes identify the old meanings and roots of
English words, illuminate historical contexts–including
classical and biblical allusions–and offer concise accounts
of the author’s philosophical and political assumptions.
This edition is a consummate work of modern literary
scholarship. Praise
“Over the coming months, [John Milton’s] 400th anniversary
will be celebrated in many different ways, but it is highly
unlikely that any of the tributes he receives will do as
much for him as the appearance of the Modern Library
edition of his collected poetry and selected prose. The
edition is a model of its kind, well designed and
attractively produced. There are scholarly but
unintimidating footnotes and helpful introductions to the
major works. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized -
- a difficult decision but the right one….A great deal has
been packed in, but Milton has still been left room to
breathe. The whole enterprise is meant to be reader-
friendly, and it succeeds.” — The Wall Street Journal “This magnificent edition gives us everything we need to
read Milton intelligently and with fresh perception. You
could take it to a desert island, or just stay home and
further your education in a great writer.”
–William H. Pritchard, Amherst College “For generations of readers Milton has been the measure of
both eloquence and nobility of mind. For the next
generation this new Modern Library volume will be the
standard: it is meticulously edited, full of tactful
annotations that set the stage for his work and his times,
and it brings Milton, as a poet and a thinker, vividly
alive before us.”
–Robert Hass “Years ago I began a series of poems about Milton and his
daughters. Ever since, I have been combing through Milton’s
poems and prose for those moments when the poet would turn
and speak to the poet in me. It is in the new Kerrigan-
Rumrich-Fallon edition that I now find prompt rejoinders to
questions, ready clarifications of problems, and a more
intimate dimension of that formidable adjective Miltonic.”
–Richard Howard “A superb edition of the great poet, with modernized
spelling, lucid introductions to each work, illuminating
footnotes, and fresh prose translations of poems in Latin,
Greek, and Italian. This will surely be the edition of
choice for teachers, students, and general readers too.”
–Leo Damrosch, Harvard University “The introductions alone constitute a fine new book on
Milton, beautifully written, challenging and balanced, with
equal care and insight given to textual, biographical,
historical, literary-historical and literary-critical
concerns. It is a book to last a lifetime.”
–James Earl, University of Oregon “In this landmark edition, teachers will discover a
powerful ally in bringing the excitement of Milton’s poetry
and prose to new generations of students. In the clarity of
its overall conception, its thoroughness, and its never-
faltering attention to literary and historical detail, the
Modern Library Milton serves almost as another teacher–
patient, thoughtful, endlessly concerned with genuine
comprehension.”
–William C. Dowling, Rutgers University “The editors display a remarkable combination of scholarly
rigor and sensitivity to literary values, expressed in
prose of exemplary clarity and extraordinary grace; even
the notes, concise as well as precise, approach a kind of
epigrammatic brilliance. A superb edition.”
–Edward W. Tayler, Columbia University “The editors succeed gloriously, meeting the needs of the
whole spectrum, from general readers to advanced students.
A modernized text, one sensitive to Milton’s poetic rhythm,
illuminates both the author’s meaning and artistry. It’s a
beautiful edition–a home worthy of its subject.”
–Marina Favila, James Madison University
No awards found for this book.
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