《失乐园》(Paradise Lost)，全文12卷，以史诗一般的磅礴气势揭示了人的原罪与堕落。诗中叛逆天使撒旦，因为反抗上帝的权威被打入地狱，却仍不悔改，负隅反抗，为复仇寻至伊甸园。亚当与夏娃受被撒旦附身的蛇的引诱，偷吃了上帝明令禁吃的分辨善恶的树上的果子。最终，撒旦及其同伙遭谴全变成了蛇，亚当与夏娃被逐出了伊甸园。该诗体现了诗人追求自由的崇高精神，是世界文学史、思想史上的一部极重要的作品。网格本原来采用的就是朱维之先生的译本，经典传神，这次再版，重新扫描了古斯塔夫·多雷的50幅精美插图，以更高质量的书品，还原网格本的魅力。

This Norton Critical Edition is designed to make Paradise Lost accessible for student readers, providing invaluable contextual and biographical information and the tools students need to think critically about this landmark epic. Gordon Teskey's freshly edited text of Milton's masterpiece is accompanied by a new introduction and substantial explanatory annotations. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized, the latter, importantly, within the limits imposed by Milton's syntax. "Sources and Backgrounds" collects relevant passages from the Bible and Milton's prose writings, including selections from The Reason of Church Government and the full text of Areopagitica. "Criticism" brings together classic interpretations by Andrew Marvell, John Dryden, Victor Hugo, and T. S. Eliot, among others, and the most important recent criticism and scholarship surrounding the epic, including essays by Northrop Frye, Barbara Lewalski, Christopher Ricks, and Helen Vendler. A Glossary and Selected Bibliography are also included. About the Series : No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the Norton Critical Editions . Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. Each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.

《论出版自由》作者约翰·弥尔顿（1608-1674）是英国伟大的诗人和政论家，17世纪英国资产阶级革命的参加者。《论出版自由》是弥尔顿许多精心撰述的政论中最重要的一篇，是他在1644年向英国国会提出的一篇演说辞。1644年是英国资产阶级向斯图亚特王朝作斗争取得初步胜利的时期，革命内部的资产阶级上层分子长老派害怕革命继续深入，他们竭力控制人民的宗教信仰和政治思想，力图与王党妥协。弥尔顿为了争取人民言论出版自由，写了这篇政论，向国会提出呼吁，并在演说辞中对长老派提出了警告。
为了帮助读者了解作者的生平及其思想，我们从《苏联大百科全书》中译出“弥尔顿”一文，作为附录附在原文的后面，供读者参考。