-
Paradise Lost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
The Iliad
- The Fitzgerald Translation
- By: Homer, Robert Fitzgerald - translator
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since it was first published more than 25 years ago, Robert Fitzgerald's prizewinning translation of Homer's battle epic has become a classic in its own right: a standard against which all other versions of The Iliad are compared. Fitzgerald's work is accessible, ironic, faithful, written in a swift vernacular blank verse that "makes Homer live as never before" ( Library Journal).
-
-
Beautiful
- By Tad Davis on 10-08-14
By: Homer, and others
-
Crime and Punishment
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this intense detective thriller instilled with philosophical, religious, and social commentary, Dostoevsky studies the psychological impact upon a desperate and impoverished student when he murders a despicable pawnbroker, transgressing moral law to ultimately "benefit humanity".
-
-
Joining my "Greatest Books" list
- By Ruthanne Johnston on 01-24-14
By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, and others
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
- By Maggie on 10-18-17
By: Virgil
-
Robinson Crusoe
- By: Daniel Defoe
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widely regarded as the first English novel, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is one of the most popular and influential adventure stories of all time. This classic tale of shipwreck and survival on an uninhabited island was an instant success when first published in 1719, and it has inspired countless imitations.
-
-
Stands the Test of Time!
- By MaugerDStaunton on 05-20-12
By: Daniel Defoe
-
Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
-
-
Great Bio Followed by Milton's Masterpiece
- By Thomas Phelan on 01-10-11
By: John Milton
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
The Iliad
- The Fitzgerald Translation
- By: Homer, Robert Fitzgerald - translator
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since it was first published more than 25 years ago, Robert Fitzgerald's prizewinning translation of Homer's battle epic has become a classic in its own right: a standard against which all other versions of The Iliad are compared. Fitzgerald's work is accessible, ironic, faithful, written in a swift vernacular blank verse that "makes Homer live as never before" ( Library Journal).
-
-
Beautiful
- By Tad Davis on 10-08-14
By: Homer, and others
-
Crime and Punishment
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this intense detective thriller instilled with philosophical, religious, and social commentary, Dostoevsky studies the psychological impact upon a desperate and impoverished student when he murders a despicable pawnbroker, transgressing moral law to ultimately "benefit humanity".
-
-
Joining my "Greatest Books" list
- By Ruthanne Johnston on 01-24-14
By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, and others
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
- By Maggie on 10-18-17
By: Virgil
-
Robinson Crusoe
- By: Daniel Defoe
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widely regarded as the first English novel, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is one of the most popular and influential adventure stories of all time. This classic tale of shipwreck and survival on an uninhabited island was an instant success when first published in 1719, and it has inspired countless imitations.
-
-
Stands the Test of Time!
- By MaugerDStaunton on 05-20-12
By: Daniel Defoe
-
Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
-
-
Great Bio Followed by Milton's Masterpiece
- By Thomas Phelan on 01-10-11
By: John Milton
-
Beyond Good and Evil
- By: Friedrich Nietzsche
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings, Roy McMillan
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Continuing where Thus Spoke Zarathustra left off, Nietzsche's controversial work Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most influential philosophical texts of the 19th century and one of the most controversial works of ideology ever written. Attacking the notion of morality as nothing more than institutionalised weakness, Nietzsche criticises past philosophers for their unquestioning acceptance of moral precepts. Nietzsche tried to formulate what he called "the philosophy of the future".
-
-
Great Book, great Audio Narration
- By Bob H on 01-07-11
-
The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection
- By: Edgar Allan Poe
- Narrated by: Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone brilliantly interpret twenty of Edgar Allan Poe's most chilling stories and poems - an unforgettably intense listening experience!
-
-
Excellent performance, poor formatting.
- By tom on 10-24-11
By: Edgar Allan Poe
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
The Storm Before the Storm
- The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
- By: Mike Duncan
- Narrated by: Mike Duncan
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. After its founding in 509 BCE, the Romans refused to allow a single leader to seize control of the state and grab absolute power. The Roman commitment to cooperative government and peaceful transfers of power was unmatched in the history of the ancient world. But by the year 133 BCE, the republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled.
-
-
Interesting, albeit a bit dry
- By Aria on 11-14-17
By: Mike Duncan
-
The Plantagenets
- The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights.
-
-
Excellent Narrative History
- By Troy on 08-07-13
By: Dan Jones
-
Grimm's Fairy Stories
- By: The Brothers Grimm, Margaret Hunt - translator
- Narrated by: Joanna Daniel
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, pulled from Margaret Hunt's 1884 translation. Including: The Little Brother and Little Sister", "Hansel and Gretel", "Oh, If I Could but Shiver!", "Dummling and the Three Feathers", "Little Snow-White", "Frederick and Catherine", "The Valiant Little Tailor", "Little Red-Cap", "The Golden Goose", "Bearskin", "Cinderella", "Faithful John", "The Water of Life", "Thumbling", "Briar Rose", and "The Six Swans," among others.
-
-
Perfect in every sense!
- By Izzy Talavera on 03-18-16
By: The Brothers Grimm, and others
-
All the King's Men
- By: Robert Penn Warren
- Narrated by: Michael Emerson
- Length: 20 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fictionalized account of Louisiana's colorful and notorious governor, Huey Pierce Long, All the King's Men follows the startling rise and fall of Willie Stark, a country lawyer in the Deep South of the 1930s. Beset by political enemies, Stark seeks aid from his right-hand man Jack Burden, who will bear witness to the cataclysmic unfolding of this very American tragedy.
-
-
Beautifully presented
- By Cheimon on 10-12-08
-
The Essential John Milton
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser, Samantha Bond, Derek Jacobi
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of John Milton's finest poetry offers an ideal overview of his work. It is read by several of Britain's foremost classical actors, including Anton Lesser, Samantha Bond and Derek Jacobi. Milton's uncompromising views set him firmly on the side of Cromwell, putting his life in danger when the Stuart monarchy was restored.
-
-
2/3 of the performers here are absolutely great.
- By BarneyBM on 11-14-20
By: John Milton
-
The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
- or, The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life
- By: Charles Darwin
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 23 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Origin of Species sold out on the first day of its publication in 1859. It is the major book of the 19th century and one of the most readable and accessible of the great revolutionary works of the scientific imagination. Though, in fact, little read, most people know what it says—at least they think they do. The Origin of Species was the first mature and persuasive work to explain how species change through the process of natural selection. Upon its publication, the book began to transform attitudes about society and religion.
-
-
For aficionados only.
- By Ary Shalizi on 01-11-12
By: Charles Darwin
-
The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.
-
-
A collection of appendices, not a story
- By James W. on 09-27-19
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
2,000 Years of Papal History: The History of the Popes, the Papacy, and the Catholic Church
- By: John W. O'Malley
- Narrated by: John W. O'Malley
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author, renowned professor, and the dean of American Catholic Historians, Fr. John O’Malley presents his monumental course on the papacy. This masterpiece series covers the most fascinating history in the Western world. Now, you can trace the amazing history of the papacy, the oldest still-functioning institution of any kind in the Western world in 36 erudite lectures.
-
-
Wonderful Narration!
- By Bob Bortolin on 01-11-20
By: John W. O'Malley
-
America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than three decades after his death, John Steinbeck remains one of the nation's most beloved authors. Yet few know of his career as a journalist who covered world events from the Great Depression to Vietnam. Now, this original collection offers a portrait of the artist as citizen, deeply engaged in the world around him. In addition to the complete text of Steinbeck's last published book, America and Americans, this volume brings together for the first time more than 50 of Steinbeck's finest essays and jouralistic pieces.
-
-
Really good Steinbeck journalism.....no kidding!
- By Doug on 07-26-14
By: John Steinbeck
Publisher's Summary
Marked by Milton's characteristic erudition, Paradise Lost is a work epic both in scale and, notoriously, in ambition. For nearly 350 years, it has held generation upon generation of audiences in rapt attention, and its profound influence can be seen in almost every corner of Western culture.
Critic Reviews
"If you’re in the mood for a heart-pounding morality tale, this is the book for you. This seventeenth-century classic has survived all these years for many reasons, not least of which is that it portrays Satan as a sympathetic hero. Narrator Simon Vance is equipped with a forceful British accent, which he uses to accentuate the text and bring the story to life. He subtly changes his tone and emphasis as the story moves from heaven to hell to earth, and he enables us to appreciate the story’s different personalities without providing character voices. Vance's most effective attribute is his ability to interpret epic poetry by delivering the lines with rhythm and superb pacing. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award." (AudioFile magazine)
More from the same
What listeners say about Paradise Lost
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 11-19-16
Solid performance
Simon Vance always does a tremendous job. The poem itself can be dull at times, but the last few books of it were intense and vivid. It is a difficult read, but if you're into the subject matter, I would recommend
33 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beautiful and intelligent reading
Milton's complex lines are read with articulate care, rendering even the most convoluted stanzas clear to the listener and drawing out their unique beauty effortlessly
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Handyman
- 09-01-18
Excellent reading of the great poem
With this recording, I've found it better to understand and enjoy Paradise Lost than reading it for myself. To get the full texture, I slowed it down to 0.9 speed in the Audible app.
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Tony McClung
- 02-21-10
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
Simon Vance's pace and tone are excellent, infusing the verse with appropriate dramatic tones.
Naturally, the book is a classic. However, I never thought listening to Milton would be so rewarding.
56 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NYC Amazon buyer
- 01-26-18
Brilliant, illuminating reading
Never was a fan of the poem before, but between teaching it to outstanding students at my school, and Simon Vance’s superlative performance, I’m a convert. Vance does an extraordinarily deft job of balancing erudition, elegance and poetic instinct; a wonderfully sensitive read by the perfect voice for this work.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-12-18
on par with Dante
What Dante did for the afterlife, Milton does for the beginning of Life. Read this.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amanda D
- 02-05-15
Wonderfully read audiobook.
This reading does justice to Milton's great poem.
I highly recommend it for those interested in Milton or already fans.
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Corvin Rok
- 02-19-16
brilliant and beautiful
a masterpiece of the English language. Milton is the modern Homer and has crafted a poetic epic the scale and import of the Iliad.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marie
- 06-14-17
Worthwhile purchase
If you're interested in Paradise Lost, then you should already know what you're in for. It's not the most riveting story in the world. This performance doesn't do much to help that; the voice is monotone and may put you to sleep. But I found the voice clear and easy to understand (because it emphasizes all the right parts in Milton's convoluted syntax, it's easier to follow than reading in print). And the audiobook was a good recording -- no weird volume changes and a steady pace. Overall I'd say it was a good purchase and I'd buy it again.
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rodney cron
- 05-08-15
I love this book.
Paradise Lost is written in Old English fashion and the only way to enjoy it completely is to listen to it with a narrator that can capture that certain finesse. I would highly recommend it.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Robin
- 03-15-15
An awe-inspiring book read flawlessly by SV
Having been enthralled by the myths of Vikings and of ancient Greece and Rome, I always suspected that Christianity had a bit more to offer than the limp moralising stories I encountered at school and through the Venerable Bede. Not only have I found this in Paradise Lost, which has now taken the place as my favourite piece of mythology, but I would say this is one of the greatest books I have ever read.
Almost everything is perfect. From the start, with Satan crashing headlong into hell, I was gripped. Milton takes what I always considered a bland and tedious subject matter, the fall of man, and turns it into a romping story with cataclysmic battles, horrific monsters and disarmingly human characters. I recognised myself in Adam and Eve, and indeed in Satan, who is portrayed as a complex but understandable evil. The writing is breathtaking and leaves me, an atheist, in the awkward position of finding it perfectly plausible that it was, as Milton claimed, divinely inspired. Every line is a treat. The scenes he spins are as clear and dazzling, or as dark and terrifying as the subject matter. And this is story with a purpose too. Milton tackles some of the deepest questions about what it is to be human with a clear and persuasive logic.
It angers me that a story as deeply affecting as this has to, according to the leaders of many religions, be taken not as allegory but as fact. It is clear that Christianity, or at least Milton’s interpretation of it, has a lot to offer. I found myself struck by the relevance of many of the themes. But do we really have to tie in rules that say we have to believe in holy ghosts and heavenly kingdoms? It seems like such a pointless waste.
Though this is not to say that I was comfortable with everything presented. Foremost, the role of women, weaker and subservient to men. I looked hard for some saving graces in the text, but while Eve has depth, ultimately I found the messages about women uncomfortably antiquated. Secondly, the chastisement of those seeking knowledge. It really does reek of the tools used by rulers to oppress their subjects and stifle curiosity. I take the point that there are limits to what we can and should explore, but without our thirst for knowledge we wouldn’t have made such leaps in medicine, and helped save the lives or alleviate the suffering for so many people. If human life is as precious as Christianity makes out, the angels should be singing Hallelujah at these advances in science, not ticking people off for daring to probe deeper.
I also inevitably got confused at Milton’s dense poetic verse from time to time, but this comes with the terrain and certainly shouldn’t put anybody off. It’s Shakespearean in style, with all the benefits and challenges that brings, but with the summaries, the “arguments”, at the start of each book, I never got bamboozled for too long. I must also confess now that I cheated a little in “reading” the audiobook, but epic verse like this was made to be read aloud, and Simon Vance’s narration is, as ever, flawless.
A staggering achievement in literature and one of the best pieces of writing I’ve ever encountered, even with my reservations about some of the messages embedded in the subject matter, I still consider this one of the greatest and most enjoyable books I have ever read.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mr. Joseph G. Black
- 06-19-22
A highly recommended listen for this Classic.
having previously read this book myself, it was really special to have someone else read it to me.
The voice performance is so theatrical and considering the verse, my hat is off to you.
Fabulous experience.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Alexander
- 04-12-18
Great book, good narration!
There’s no denying the book itself is brilliant. The narrator is clear and portrays good feeling.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Catherine
- 09-28-17
Worth persevering with.
I found this story full of rich imagery and portraying a wide range of human psychological and religious experience that is still relevant today. I also found it historically interesting as it embodies so many aspects of the Renaissance and classic world views that Milton would have had access to, including the latest scientific/mathematical discoveries by Galileo.
Tip: Initially I found it difficult to follow the story because the language Milton used is quite rich compared with modern speech and literature. However I found that by replaying the first 3 chapters I got the gist of it and could follow the rest without repeat.