86 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Handsome Devil of a Book, October 20, 2005
I have other editions of Paradise Lost, many with lengthy and preachy introductions, but this one has become my favourite. The design is beautiful, with a great cover, blood red inside covers and red ribbon marker. The original engravings that illustrate the story are a unique feature and look great.
The introduction and notes on all chapters written by Philip Pullman are short, refreshing and suprisingly funny. Even if you studied Paradise in depth, his comments may shed new light on this classic work. As he reminds the readers, these are his views as a fan rather than a scholar, and he tries to clear some cobwebs that gathered on Milton's opus and bring it closer into focus for the modern readers. Among his references are Alfred Hitchcock's movies and novels of Frederick Forsyth. And he tackles that age old dilema- if he is so evil, why do we find Lucifer so damn likeable...?
If you want to read Paradise Lost for the first time, possibly after/before devouring Pullman's own Dark Materials trilogy, look no further than this beautiful edition. And even if you have other copies, this is a great addition to your home library. Nothing wrong with a good looking book, when the content matches the design in quality, as it is the case here.
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57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful edition, October 8, 2005
Interesting but skimpy comments from Philip Pullman, but the real attractions are a very clean and historically sensitive page design and the Michael Burghers engravings from the first illustrated edition of 1688. I own other PL's, but from now on this is the one I will take down to read.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Malt Does More Than Milton Can, April 9, 2008
This is an excellent edition of "Paradise Lost" to own. The binding and dustjacket are nice, a red ribbon bookmark makes reading it handy, there are gorgeous illustrations before each chapter, as well as introductions by Philip Pullman before each chapter. To understand Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, it is essential to understand "Paradise Lost." Of course, Pullman has his own unique views on Milton's masterpiece, and not everyone will agree with them, but they are interesting to read in any case. Anyway, this is an essential read for anyone who wants a grasp of modern English literature.
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