"…a monument of scholarship, but also a book accessible to any lover of poetry… It's reincarnation is something to be celebrated".
John Mullan, The Guardian

‘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’
Selina Hastings, The Daily Telegraph

"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.”
Times Literary Supplement

"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."                                                                                                                         John Sutherland, The Guardian

"To be honest, I have never a big fan of poetry, but John Milton's epic changed that...The reading can be rather difficult at times, but with Alastair Fowler's wonderful annotations, it is possible for readers of any level to comprehend and enjoy Paradise Lost."

Amazon.co.uk review

"Fowler's editing and copious yet useful annotations are first rate for any single edition of Paradise Lost. “

Amazon.co.uk review

Poem of the Week - The Guardian November 24 2006

Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the great works of literature, of any time and in any language. Marked by Milton's characteristic erudition it is a work epic both in scale and, notoriously, in ambition. For nearly 350 years it has held generation upon generation of scholars, students and readers in rapt attention and its profound influence can be seen in almost every corner of Western culture. First published in 1968, with John Carey's Complete Shorter Poems, Alastair Fowler's Paradise Lost is widely acknowledged to be the most authoritative edition of this compelling work.

An unprecedented amount of detailed annotation accompanies the full text of the first (1667) edition, providing a wealth of contextual information to enrich and enhance the reader's experience. Notes on composition and context are combined with a clear explication of the multitude allusions Milton called to the poem's aid. The notes also summarise and illuminate the vast body of critical attention the poem has attracted, synthesizing the ancient and the modern to provide a comprehensive account both of the poem's development and its reception. Meanwhile, Alastair Fowler's invigorating introduction surveys the whole poem and looks in detail at such  matters as Milton's theology, metrical structure and, most valuably, his complex and imaginary astronomy. The result is an enduring landmark in the field of Milton scholarship and an invaluable guide for readers of all levels.

Alastair Fowler is Regius Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, and was formerly Professor of English at the University of Virginia, USA.