TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 30 Happy Birthday to John Bunyan (born 1628)

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 John Bunyan was an English preacher and writer whose enduring reputation rests on The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), one of the most influential works in the history of Christian and English literature. Written in plain yet powerful prose, the book presents an allegorical journey of faith that has resonated with readers for more than three centuries.

Composed largely during Bunyan’s twelve-year imprisonment for preaching without official approval, The Pilgrim’s Progress became a publishing phenomenon, read across social classes and translated into dozens of languages. Its narrative structure, vivid symbolism, and moral clarity influenced generations of writers and secured Bunyan a lasting place in both literary and religious history.

Fun Fact: Bunyan’s jailer was unusually lenient, allowing him access to books, writing materials, and even supervised visits home—conditions that made one of literary history’s most famous prison-written works possible.

“Then I saw in my dream, that the man began to run.”
— John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress

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Bunyan, John (1628–1688). The Pilgrim’s Progress, From This World to That Which is to Come.
London: John C. Nimmo, 1895.

A finely produced late-Victorian English edition of Bunyan’s enduring Christian allegory, bound by Bickers & Son in full blue morocco with gilt tooling, five raised bands, marbled endpapers, and gilt edges. The binding is signed in gilt on the front turn-in. Illustrated by the Scottish artist William Strang with fourteen tissue-guarded engravings that give dramatic and psychological weight to Bunyan’s spiritual narrative.

First published in 1678, The Pilgrim’s Progress remains one of the most influential works in English religious literature, chronicling the moral and spiritual journey of its protagonist through allegory, trial, and perseverance. This Nimmo edition reflects the late-nineteenth-century revival of fine book production, pairing a canonical text with high-quality materials, accomplished illustration, and distinguished English binding craftsmanship.

Condition: Near fine. Bindings are tight and square; text is clean with light, even age-toning. Light rubbing at joints and bands; some plates and leaves toned. Bookplate to front pastedown.

Genres: Allegory; Christian Literature; Religious Fiction.
 Subjects: Faith and Redemption; Spiritual Journey; Moral Trials; English Religious Classics.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

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