John Milton, blind and impoverished sells the copyright of his epic over 10,000 line poem, "Paradise Lost", on April 27, 1667, to publisher Samuel Simmons for an initial £5, with an additional £5 to be paid upon the sale of 1,300 copies of each of the first three editions. (Roughly £16,000 today). Milton's work went on to become one of the most significant one in English literature.
Paradise Lost is an epic poem by John Milton that retells the biblical story of the Fall of Man, focusing on Satan's rebellion, his temptation of Adam and Eve, and their subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Written in blank verse, (“ a literary term that refers to poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines), it explores themes of free will, obedience, tyranny, and redemption, famously aiming to "justify the ways of God to men". The poem is renowned for its complex characters. Milton's epic poem, containing over 10,000 lines of blank verse and it is commonly published in 12 books.
