The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, To That Which Is to Come (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

John Bunyan (Author), Roger Sharrock (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: December 30, 1965

"The Pilgrim's Progress" tells the story of a man named Christian pursuing his pilgrimage through Vanity Fair, the Slough of Despond and the Delectable Mountains on his path towards the Celestial City and is one of the world's most famous religious allegories. John Bunyan wrote the first part of his tract while in prison for his religious beliefs, and it remains a supreme classic of the seventeenth-century English Puritan tradition. Yet, he also created a profound folk-epic of the universal imagination, one that has had an immeasurable influence on the writing that followed it ever since.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(in full The Pilgrim's Progress From This World, to That Which is to Come: Delivered Under the Similitude of a Dream Wherein is Discovered, the Manner of His Setting Out, His Dangerous Journey; and Safe Arrival at the Desired Countrey) Two-part religious allegory by John Bunyan, at one time second only to the Bible in popularity. It is a symbolic vision of the pilgrimage through life. The first and best-known book, published in 1678, in which the character Christian travels on the road to salvation from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, is presented as a dream. Written in homely yet dignified biblical prose, the work has some of the qualities of a folktale, and in its humor and realistic portrayals of Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Faithful, Hopeful, Pliant, and Obstinate, it anticipates the 18th-century novel. In The Pilgrim's Progress, Second Part (1684), which deals with the effort of Christian's wife and sons to join him, the psychological intensity is relaxed and Bunyan's capacity for humor and realistic observation becomes more evident. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

People of all ages have found delight in the simple, earnest story of Christian, the Pilgrim, as he makes his way to the Celestial City. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (December 30, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140430040
• ISBN-13: 978-0140430042
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition with two minor flaws, February 19, 2007

By 

Arthad - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pilgrim's Progress (Hendrickson Christian Classics) (Hardcover)

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress. Hendrickson Christian Classics. ISBN 156563134X. (Due to Amazon's tendency to post reviews of one edition of a book on another edition's product page, make sure you're viewing the product page for ISBN 156563134X.)

This review focuses on the edition only, as the Pilgrim's Progress itself needs no review. The hardcover binding is handsome and tasteful, and looks well on the shelf. The typeface is very readable. It would in fact be a perfect inexpensive edition of a great allegory, if not for two relatively minor flaws.

The first is no "Note on the Text," or even the name of an editor (of this volume; I believe the series may have a general editor). From what edition was this text edited? What other editions were consulted? What is the history of the text of the Pilgrim's Progress? A Note on the Text wouldn't have been much trouble, and would have raised this edition up a notch or two.

The second is the glossing of words such as "I trow" which the unknown editor considers difficult for modern English readers. Glossing should properly be done either with footnotes or in the margins, but in this edition, the glosses are in brackets immediately following the word glossed. E.g. ". . . I trow [believe] . . ." I find the procedure annoying; other readers might find it helpful. And if glosses in brackets make a great work of English literature accessible to more readers, then I suppose the editor is justified.

Other than that, it's an excellent edition. I commend Hendrickson for bringing out their line of "Christian Classics" in handsome bindings for very low prices.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book to read!, February 14, 2001

By 

Max Kennedy (Covington, Ky United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, To That Which Is to Come (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This is a Christian classic that is my favorite of all Christian works, bar none (except the bible of course). Possibly the second most published work outside the bible, it has been highly regarded by many, and was once widely taught in the schools.

I wish my school had taught it. I first read this book a year ago, and I feel as if I've been deprived all my life.

Pilgrim's Progress is written by a mature Christian, with insights that you will not get from anyone other than a mature Christian. Few people are capable of writing such a book.

And the book shines with great quotes. Two of my favorites are:

What means this? The Interpreter answered, 'This is Christ, who continually with the oil of grace maintains the work already begun in the heart, by the means of which, notwithstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. AND IN THAT THOU sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire, this is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.

And this: Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech. 'What a fool', quoth he, 'am I , thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a key in my bosom, called promise, that will (I am persuaded) open any lock in Doubting-Castle.'

A key called promise.. great thoughts.

There are many editions to Pilgrim's Progress, and I haven't found one I am happy with yet. Try to get one with the original wording, and the references to passages in the bible. Many versions delete the references to passages in the bible, which are, of course, the most useful to Christians and of least use to the world.

ISBN 0140430040 appears to be true to the original wording of the classic. On the other hand, it lacks the biblical passage references, chapter divisions, and is a paperback with (quite frankly) an ugly cover.

ISBN 0785242228 is a modern spelling version. However comparing it to the original shows that a lot more than just the spelling has been changed, and it doesn't read nearly as well. This is a nicely bound hardback with quality paper and chapter divisions, and some (but not all) the references to the bible. Character names are annoyingly abbrievated throughout book.

ISBN 1557480990 is a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress. While a children's book, it remains true to the original and is worth getting. The illustrations are great.

There are also many etext versions of Pilgrim's Progress that include the original text and all the references the text makes to passages in the bible.

I recommend you take your time reading the book, and reflect on what is being said. Also, if you have a full version of this book, with the references to passages in the bible, you could use it as part of a bible study.

BTW: the phrase 'vanity fair' comes from this book.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not Dante's Inferno, July 21, 2001

By 

Gregory N. Hullender (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pilgrim's Progress (World's Classics) (Paperback)

In contrast to Dante, Bunyan fills his allegory with real people, not just stereotypes - or even archetypes. Though his characters have names like "Honest," "Feeble-mind," and "Ignorance," they come across as real people given a nickname. The names apply to some extent, of course, but not to the point of making caricatures out of the characters.
This volume contains parts I and II of Pilgrim's progress. The first part concerns the journey of a pilgrim named "Christian," while the second describes the journey of his wife, Christiana. Both start from the City of Destruction and both encounter many of the same obstacles - the Slough of Despond, the Vanity Fair, the Castle Doubt - before reaching the gates of the Celestial City. Other than that, their journeys are rather different, for Christian travels on his own, with a bit of help here and there, and with one or another traveling companion, but his progress is almost entirely his own. Christiana, by contrast, travels as part of an ever growing company, who support one another and who are defended by one or two powerful champions.
You never lose sight of the allegory, but this work is not a mere tract. The story itself and the characters entertain - even today.