John Milton was born the son of a London notary. After graduating from Cambridge and mastering ancient and modern languages, Milton became one of the most learned men of his time. He lived a turbulent life, devoting himself to scholarship, politics, and religion, but his name has endured for centuries thanks to his poetry, especially his poem 'Paradise Lost,' first published in 1667. This epic drama, comparable in scope to the works of Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare, became one of the greatest works of English literature. This edition of 'Paradise Lost' is published in Arkady Steinberg's translation and is accompanied by a complete set of classic illustrations by Gustave Doré. The book also includes the poem 'Paradise Regained,' based on the New Testament episode of Satan's temptation of Christ, the tragedy 'Samson Agonist,' and the finest examples of Milton's lyric poetry. In addition to Doré's illustrations, the edition includes illustrations by William Harvey, George Wharton Edwards, and Arthur Rackham (color engravings for the elegant pastoral 'Comos'), never previously published in Russia. The texts are accompanied by detailed annotations by the distinguished literary scholar and specialist in foreign literature, Andrei Nikolaevich Gorbunov.