John Milton Books

Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.

John Milton was an English intellectual best known for literary works that attacked the political and religious organizations of his time. Born in 1608 in London to John Milton, a composer, the younger Milton had several siblings. But most of them died early on in their lives.

Milton’s father sent him to St. Paul’s school in the early 1600s. He also saw fit to supplement his son’s education with tutors. Thomas Young, one such tutor, is believed to have sparked Milton’s interest in religion and politics. The author also supposedly nurtured a strong friendship with a student by the names of Charles Diodati during his years at St. Paul’s.

Diodati remained Milton’s close confidant throughout his teenage and young adult years. There are gaps in what people know regarding John Milton’s education, excluding the fact that he was a precocious student who went on to master several languages, including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Spanish.

Eventually graduating from Christ’s College, Cambridge, Milton took his accolades (Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees) on the road, initially spending some time in Buckinghamshire where he studied further on his own and then heading to Europe.

Some have speculated that he actually met Galileo at some point. The astronomer was under house arrest at the time, so this assumption makes some sense. Drawn back to England because of the Civil War, John Milton went on to marry Mary Powell.

Mary was 17 at the time, and their relationship did not last long. Despite separating for several years, the pair eventually reconnected. Their coupling bore fruit in the form of four children. Though, Mary eventually passed on. That was in 1952, the same year that Milton lost his sight.

His second marriage was to Katherine Woodcock. She also died just two years after. The author followed her in 1974. His death was caused by kidney failure. Literary critics consider him to be one of the greatest English writers.

Milton was a devout Christian who elevated the authority of the bible above the decrees of the religious institutions that reigned supreme at the time. The Church of England, in particular, earned his ire, with Milton going so far as to call for its abolition.

He also attacked the Monarchy which was so intimately intertwined with the church at the time. It is worth noting that his father was banished from his Catholic home for reading the English Bible. Some have suggested that the younger Milton inherited these rebellious traits.

His most notable work was ‘Paradise Lost’ which chronicled the Adam and Eve tale and the manner in which the Devil tempted them. The sequel to the poem, ‘Paradise Regained’, dealt with Jesus’ triumph over the devil and his temptations.

Best John Milton Books

Besides his literary achievements, John Milton has been lauded for the defenses he mounted against those who fought to curtail the freedom of speech and the press in his day, with some of the best titles in his bibliography including:

Paradise Lost: Paradise Lost tells an old story, one that sees God and the Devil face off against one another in a fight for humanity’s future. It follows the rise and eventual fall of mankind, taking readers into heaven, down to earth, and into the very depths of hell, following the trail of destruction Satan left when he corrupted the other Angels in his efforts to mount a coup against God.

Paradise Lost, though concerned with the overall story of Man’s temptation and eventual fall, places a lot of emphasis on the character of Satan, highlighting the attributes that make him a prideful and egotistical villain but also finding ways to cast him in a sympathetic light.

Some have studied Paradise Lost as a religious text, others as political commentary.

Paradise Regained: Paradise Lost chronicled the fall of mankind as a whole but it took a keen interest in Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve. Paradise Regained picks up the story that its predecessor started. It jumps ahead to the times of Jesus and finds Satan as he, once more, puts his talents to the task of tempting the son of God.

With Paradise Regained, Milton does not spend quite as much time developing Satan as a character.

When Does The Next John Milton book come out?

John Milton doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Milton's Tractate on Education and was released on July, 13th 2017. It is the newest book in the John Milton Poetry and Prose.

Home » Author » John Milton

BookSeries.org