Pilgrim's Progress

by John Bunyan, Bridge Logos Publishers, Bridge Logos Pub

A masterpiece of the English Puritan tradition, The Pilgrim's Progress is rich in its imaginative power and its vivid and heartfelt language. It recounts the story of Christian, who appears to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1850300178
• ISBN13: 9781850300175
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Bridge-Logos
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

wonderful and beautiful reprint

worth the value of the print and binding alone, this edition not only has the Pilgrim's Progress (with illustrations) in large print (yeah, no glasses!) but the OTHER works of this brilliant man, including his last sermon preached! Masterbooks has done us all a wonderful favor. Read the book that Spurgeon read over 100 times in his life. Read it to your children and let them grasp the beauty of the language, and the timelessness of the message. I think there is no other book in the world where the reader takes the place of the primary character and interprets all other characters as people in his own life...aunts, uncles, friends, former friends, ministers, phoneys, givers, takers, and so on. Read your life story through the brilliant pen of the old tinker from England. No wonder that this was the 2nd most selling book in the English language for generations! Introduce this to your children via DVD, "Dangerous Journey". My kids love to be read to, and to watch the DVD, chapter by chapter. Enjoy! Thank you to the publishers!

Readable and human parable. A story for all times.

The first time that I encountered Christian and his pilgrimage was as a preface and a family favorite in the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Unfortunately, it was not until twenty-something years later that I actually got around to reading the book itself. If I were you, I would not wait that long. The first part of the current combined book appeared in 1678. Bunyan, a nonconformist Protestant minister who was imprisoned for preaching without a license, wrote at least the first part of the book in jail. The second part was first published in 1684. It is likely the most popular allegory ever written, and is still one of the best selling books of all time. What makes it so popular? The obvious key to its popularity is its simple, crisp style. Even accounting for the language changes between the seventeenth century and now, it is not a struggle to read Progress and it flows well for the modern reader. Although the book is allegory, the characters are full of little realistic details that make them feel quite human. Incidentally, I was reading this book as I was walking some of the old pilgrimage trails of Europe and it was interesting to me how vivid and applicable his version of the pilgrimage experience is. The Slow of Despair rang remarkably true, as did characters such as Talkative and Mr. Worldly Wisdom. The Oxford University Press edition is bound with a scholarly introduction which is, for a change, worth reading. It also came with explanatory notes and a glossary which were helpful for the modern reader who is not familiar with the everyday language of the period.

Classic

Pilgrim's Progress is without a doubt one of the true classics of time--an allegory that has remained a best seller years after its introduction.My first introduction to Pilgrim's Progress was as a child in parochial school. I had to do a book report on it in 5th grade and ended up reading numerous times for various projects throughout grade school.The reader follows the main character--aptly named "Christian"--on his journey to the Celestial City.Along the way, Christian passes through the many trials of life, symbolized by intruiging characters and places along the way. An early temptation is the "City of Destruction", which Christian narrowly escapes with his life. The various characters are perhaps the most fascinating portion of the book--Pliable, Giant Despair, Talkative, Faithful, Evangelist, and numerous others provide the reader with a continual picture of the various forces at work to distract (or perhaps, encourage)Christian on his ultimate mission.Of course, the theology (for those of the Christian faith) of Pilgrim's Progress is a constant source of debate, the book is nonetheless a classic of great English writing.It's not a quick read--that's for sure--however, I certainly would recommend that one read it in its original form. Don't distort the beauty of the old English language with a modern translation.

Well worth the effort

"The Pilgrim's Progress" is a classic Christian text written by John Bunyan. Written in an allegorical format, the two-part story focuses first on "Christian", then on his wife "Christiana" and sons. Convicted of their own sinfulness, the characters set out on the journey to salvation at the Heavenly Gate. Characters such as "Honesty", "Great-Heart", and "Faithful" aid the pilgrims on their journey, whereas they face trials from the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and the Valley of the Shadow of Death.Getting through the book takes some work, less because of the story and more because of the depth of the allegory. Also, the dialogues between characters regarding salvation and righteousness often require a careful read. However, the story is exceptionally creative and thought-provoking, and the lessons that can be gleaned from it are timeless and worth the effort that needs to be expended. I recommend reading this one at least twice.

It's not Dante's Inferno

In contrast to Dante, Bunyan fills his allegory with real people, not just stereotypes - or even archetypes. Though his characters have names like "Honest," "Feeble-mind," and "Ignorance," they come across as real people given a nickname. The names apply to some extent, of course, but not to the point of making caricatures out of the characters.This volume contains parts I and II of Pilgrim's progress. The first part concerns the journey of a pilgrim named "Christian," while the second describes the journey of his wife, Christiana. Both start from the City of Destruction and both encounter many of the same obstacles - the Slough of Despond, the Vanity Fair, the Castle Doubt - before reaching the gates of the Celestial City. Other than that, their journeys are rather different, for Christian travels on his own, with a bit of help here and there, and with one or another traveling companion, but his progress is almost entirely his own. Christiana, by contrast, travels as part of an ever growing company, who support one another and who are defended by one or two powerful champions.You never lose sight of the allegory, but this work is not a mere tract. The story itself and the characters entertain - even today.