Paradise Lost

1688

De Beer Ec 1688 M

London: Printed by Miles Flesher for Richard Bently

This is the first illustrated edition of John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. Produced in folio format for the first time, and ‘adorn’d with sculptures’, the publisher no doubt wanted to make a ‘splash’ for one of England’s greatest poets. William Faithorne (1616-1691) was a painter who had done portraits of notables such as Oliver Cromwell, Queen Catherine, Cardinal Richelieu, and Thomas Hobbes. Previously used for the History of Britain (1670), his more kindly portrait of Milton (1608-1674) was re-worked by Richard White, a prolific English engraver.