Harvard Classics Volume 4: Complete poems written in English

by Charles William Eliot (Editor), John Milton, Roy Pitchford (Editor)

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 4 contains a multitude of works from John Milton, including:
38 poems written between 1624 and 1658
Paradise Lost
Paradise Regained
Samson Agonistes

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Nonfiction

656 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 1909

About the author

Charles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university. Eliot served the longest term as president in the university's history.

Reviews

[Lee Dawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Milton's work reminds me why I love poetry. This Harvard Classic Volume 4 edition includes Introductory Notes that walk you through his life in order to give background and enlightenment as to who Milton was as a man. There is also a photograph of Chalfont St. Giles, the only home standing where it's known that he lived. I have this book in hardcover - an amazing find from my son who rummaged through an old stack of books at an out of the way store in Arizona. He only paid twenty-five cents for this book, and also picked up several others from the Harvard Classics for the same price. A price he gladly filled a backpack for!

[Peter J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I find that I am thankful I read this book of Milton's poetry like a child is thankful he ate his vegetables, knowing it ultimately benefited me, but loathing the act.

I did not enjoy this book. While it gave an interesting review of and apology for the Christian faith, I found it profoundly boring. I believe this is because I was aware of the hundreds of pages of raw conjecture drawn from a dozen or so pages of sacred writ.

Also, as I went on, I became increasingly aware of a misogynistic undercurrent that, being the father of several sweet girls, bothered me greatly.

[Joel Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Milton deserves to be read by everyone - Not only did I enjoy the classic Paradise Lost, but I also found solace in Samson Agonistes and courage in Paradise Regained. The older style of English might take some time to acclimate to, but once done so the reading has a natural flow and beauty to it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our collection of the Harvard Five Foot Shelf is a true joy to read but requires times and concentration. It has taken nearly a year to work through Milton, though admittedly I was not reading consistently through the year. I spent the first several months reading the poems in snippets and only really read with focus once I started Paradise Lost, Milton's masterpiece. The English language has a rich palette, much of which we have lost to the crush of homogenization and simplification. Milton helped me appreciate more of the beauty of the language and its power in conveying emotion and mood. It is striking to appreciate how relevant Milton in the modern world, even if our theological or metaphysical debates have shifted. The greatest authors are those who tap into core human realities that do not dissipate with every new shift in technology or politics.

Read more at https://znovels.blogspot.com/2025/12/...

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milton's poems are sometimes difficult while other times a breeze. Overall, Paradise Lost is a masterwork of the English language. If Shakespeare is The Bard - Milton is the Scop.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth volume of the Harvard Classics served to cement my opinion that John Milton is perhaps the greatest master of the English language ever to set pen to paper. The bulk of the book is comprised of his epic Paradise Lost, which I had read before, but I also enjoyed the other biblical epics Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. The poems earlier in the book were a bit of a mixed bag, but Milton's paraphrases of two biblical psalms were brilliant and well done.

I remain convinced that a film adaptation of Paradise Lost could be fantastic, if done correctly. I doubt the current religio-cultural milieu would be conducive to ameliorating the financial risk of such an endeavor, but it's fun to think about.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milton Is a dense but amazing writer and this collection of his work is daunting but well worth your time. So often I would pause to wonder how page after page could be so masterfully crafted and think how it would take most writers a full day to construct a page of Milton’s quality.His best known work is Paradise Lost and it’s fantastic. It particularly shines whatever the devil is brooding about in hell with his demonic co-conspirators and scheming to usurp the Almighty.

[Kimberly]

The Complete Poems of John Milton.

[Robert Engle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked some of his shorter poetry but Paradise Lost was so hard to read I can't give it more than 3 stars.

[Ixby Wuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paradise Lost and Regained—among the greatest epic poems of any age—combined with the full array of Milton’s English works secure his eternal place among the poet laureate pantheon.