(London: William Pickering, 1852).

A very nice set of Milton s poetry from the Aldine British Poets series. It contains, as well as the poems, a lengthy introduction and Life of Milton by John Mitford.
In PARADISE LOST, PARADISE REGAINED and SAMSON AGONISTES Milton revived the heroic verse of Homer and Virgil to frame the tale of Satan and Paradise that has become the best-known epic poem written in English. He had difficulty in finding a publisher because of the plague of 1665, which killed many pressmen, and the Great Fire of the following year, which destroyed many printing houses and those publishers who were still operating were wary of the project because of Milton's anti-Restoration sympathies.
Simmons, to whom he finally came, drove a hard bargain, and according to the agreement reached and the number of copies sold Milton was paid a total of £15. Milton s work survives and is revered to this day as amongst the most significant poetry and prose ever penned and additionally important, at a defining moment in the development of the English language. A truly towering figure, Milton remains one of the most celebrated and analyzed poets in English literature. Dryden described  Paradise Lost as  one of the greatest, most noble and sublime poems which either this age or nation has produced, while Blake, keying in on the poem s heretical implications, described Milton as  a true Poet, and of the Devil s party without knowing it.
This thorough collection includes not only  Paradise Lost , 'Paradise Regained', Samson Agonistes and the other major works, but the sonnets, psalms, translations, and his work in Latin and Greek. As well, there is a fine Memoir of Milton and history of his literary work and the fine verse rendering on 'Paradise Lost' by Andrew Marvel. Item #32110

3 volumes. The Aldine Edition of the British Poets. With an engraved portrait of Milton by Robinson dated 1831. Small 8vo, handsomely bound by Zaehnsdorf in three-quarter olive crushed morocco over blue and green patterned marbled paper covered boards, the joins gilt ruled, the spines with wide raised bands separating compartments decorated with gilt tooled squares, three compartments lettered and numbered in gilt. cxxxiv, [4], 153, [1[; [4], 372; [4]; 334 pp. A fine and bright set with just a bit of age mellowing and wear, the portrait of Milton with an old damp stain at the lower portion of the plate.