Title : Pilgrim's Progress
author: John Bunyan
Published: - Pa- Henry Altemus 1890 - 1st edition thus?
apx. size= 9.5 by 8.5." - with 266 pages
100 ILLUSTRATIONS by Frederick Barnard, JD Linton, W Small, etc.
Contents from wikipedia: Pilgrim's Progress is a 1678 Christian allegory. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English Literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. It has also been cited as the 1st novel written in English.
Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county prison for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England.
The entire book is presented as a dream sequence narrated by an omniscient narrator. The allegory's protagonist, Christian, is an every-man character, and the plot centers on his journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" ("this world"), to the "Celestial City" ("that which is to come":Heaven] atop Mount Zion. Christian is weighed down by a great burden—the knowledge of his sin—which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand" (the Bible]. This burden, which would cause him to sink into Hell, is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance. He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "Wicket Gate" for deliverance. Since Christian cannot see the "Wicket Gate" in the distance, Evangelist directs him to go to a "shining light," which Christian thinks he sees. Christian leaves his home, his wife, and children to save himself: he cannot persuade them to accompany him. For more -go to wikipedia
Some of the places in the book:
- City of Destruction, Christian's home, representative of the world (cf. Isaiah 19:18)
- Slough of Despond, the miry swamp on the way to the Wicket Gate; one of the hazards of the journey to the Celestial City. In the First Part, Christian falling into it, sank further under the weight of his sins (his burden) and his sense of their guilt.
- Mount Sinai, a frightening mountain near the Village of Morality that threatens all who would go there.
- Wicket Gate, the entry point of the straight and narrow way to the Celestial City. Pilgrims are required to enter by way of the Wicket Gate. Beelzebub's castle was built not very far from the Gate.
- House of the Interpreter, a type of spiritual museum to guide the pilgrims to the Celestial Ciblematic of Calvary and the tomb of Christ.
- Hill Difficulty, both the hill and the road up is called "Difficulty"; it is flanked by two treacherous byways "Danger" and "Destruction." There are three choices: Christian takes "Difficulty" (the right way), and Formalist and Hypocrisy take the two other ways, which prove to be fatal dead ends.
- Valley of the Shadow of Death, a treacherous, devilish Valley filled with demons, dragons, fiends, satyrs, goblins, hobgoblins, monsters, creatures from the bottomless pit, beasts from the mouth of Hell, darkness, terror, and horror with a quick sand bog on one side and a deep chasm/ditch on the other side of the King's Highway going through it (cf. Psalm 23:4).
Condition: Please zoom in on photos carefully as they are part of the description. Externally - very good + condition overall hardcover. Textblock and boards secure, however, the front & back inner hinges are taped with clear tape and the front cover is a little slack. Textblock is cracked about the middle of the book [see last picture- it looks like the back of the textblock might have been repaired at one time]. Covers have a little dirt. Tips a bit worn, especially the bottoms. Spine ends worn too. Back cover looks pretty good. Internally- pages are all generally very clean -with just a few spots. The page edges may have been in gilt, if so, the gilt is much faded. No rips that I saw. A few small folds. Very small corner chip off the ffep. Other than that - excellent inside!
A nice Victorian beauty for your library!
Don't forget to check out my Mom's rare & old books- link above
AND check back now and then to see what's new! I do combine ship, but only if you "request total from seller" BEFORE YOU PAY -otherwise I can't send you a new invoice.
media mail SHIPPING TO USA ONLY - It can take up to 14 days to get back East. I use recycled packing materials to save the planet and to save you $ -this will be padded well and shipped in a box -thanks! #0020-B3
refund policy - due to the excuses used for returns/ refunds - I do except returns BUT - I do not refund any shipping costs -so please ask questions if you are unsure or I missed anything. THANKS for understanding
and remember -this book is very old and may have accumulated bad smells along the way [musty basement/ mildew/ smoke] - I have found that dryer sheets in them for a few months makes a world of difference! some of my books get sold right away so please consider using this trick before deciding to return it! As far as I can tell -this book has no bad smell.