<p>"This is a very Bible of Milton, and the editors should be upheld forever as the supreme example to all future editors and annotators of English verse."</p><p><i>Selina Hastings, The Daily Telegraph</i></p><p>"Those familiar with the complexities and indecisions of Milton scholarship know how formidable a task it is to prepare an adequately annotated edition of the poems. Mr Carey & Mr Fowler have tackled the task with zest and discrimination as well as perseverance. For several years to come their work will be indispensable to both scholars and students.</p><p><i>Times Literary Supplement</i></p><p>"For forty years Fowler's magisterial edition of Milton (done in partnership with John Carey) has established the benchmark for erudite commentary in his (and Greenblatt's) field."</p><p><i>John Sutherland, The Guardian</i></p><p>"This will surely become the standard working edition for student and scholar alike...a formidable task splendidly accomplished."</p><p><i>The Oxford Magazine (of the First Edition)</i></p><p>This masterly edition contains all of Milton's English poems, with the exception of <em>Paradise Lost</em>, together with translations and texts of all his Latin, Italian and Greek poems. First published in 1968 - and substantially updated in 1996 - John Carey's edition has, with Alastair Fowler's <em>Paradise Lost</em>, established itself as the pre-eminent edition of Milton's poetry, both for the student and the general reader.</p>
This masterly edition contains all of Milton's English poems, with the exception of Paradise Lost, together with translations and texts of all his Latin, Italian and Greek poems. First published in 1968 - and substantially updated in 1996 - John Carey's edition has, with Alastair Fowler's Paradise Lost, established itself as the pre-eminent edition of Milton's poetry, both for the student and the general reader. Hailed as 'a very Bible of a Milton', the extensive notes and headnotes serve to illuminate the wealth of Milton's allusions and to synthesize the judgements and disagreements of a bewildering array of modern critics. Each headnote sets out details of composition and context which will deepen any reader's appreciation of the poetry, while also providing a concise overview of the critical and scholarly debates that continue to flame around the work of one of the greatest poets in the English language. Steeped in learning though it undoubtedly is, it is also an unfailing light to those who wish to plot their own path through the dazzling riches of Milton's imagination.
Abbreviations
Chronological Table of Milton's Life and Chief Publications
THE MINOR POEMS AND SAMSONS AGONISTES
Textual Introduction
Bibliography of References Cited
Index of Titles and First Lines