"This is an excellent edition of the poem. . . . Well edited, accessible, and engaging Introduction. Also nicely produced—a sturdy, attractive book on good paper. I love it!"
—Lisa Schnell, University of Vermont

"This is the best edition of Milton. . . . The introductory material and support apparatus provide the contextual information necessary for my students to not only understand Milton's text, but to appreciate it as well.  I will certainly be using this edition again and again."
—Tim Melnarik, Department of English, California State University, San Bernardino

"Suitable, not overwhelming, notes and apparatus. You may be sure I'll order it in future."
—Dr. Stephen Teichgraeber, Concord Academy

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"[A]n exemplary job both of presenting the major topics of Paradise Lost and of entering the selva oscura of Milton criticism. . . . Students and scholars alike will appreciate the balanced approach to the complexities, difficulties, and conundrums of Milton's poem and the criticism on it.  Kastan's prose is not just lively but chiseled, and it is destined to affect students."
—Patrick Cheney, Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900

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"Kastan is an exemplary editor, attuned to emerging critical currents, yet steeped in the scholarship of an earlier tradition, aware of the text's provenance and reception, alert to its topicality.  His introduction, a model of theoretically informed, politically committed, historically grounded criticism, makes this edition of Paradise Lost all you would expect from one of the most erudite and perceptive figures in the field."
—Willy Maley, Modern Language Review

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"This is a superb edition, a model of careful editing and judicious annotation."
—Leslie Brisman, Department of English, Yale University 

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"Thank you for sending this impressive edition. . . . Having edited Paradise Lost myself (Norton, 2005), I was curious and keen to see Professor Kastan's. I agree wholeheartedly with the claim (more diplomatically put) that the punctuation of the 17th century editions has no authority and that its proponents are avoiding the problem of syntax. The notes are learned and informative, without excess, and it's good to have the text of Edward Phillips' Life."
—Gordon Teskey, Harvard University 

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NekraN – 03.01.2006

– Paradise lost er kanskje den tyngste boken jeg har lest. Ikke fordi innholdet er så umulig å forstå, men på grunn av at språket er, vel, gammelt. Det forandrer forøvrig ikke det faktum at dette episke diktet er blant de beste i verdenslitteraturens historie. Boken tar for seg Lucifers opprør i himmelen, og syndefallet, da mennesket beviste sin svakhet ved å falle for fristelsen til å spise av kunnskapens tre. Vi møter en Lucifer-skikkelse som er bemerkelsesverdig menneskelig (på godt og vondt). Til tider kan man nesten synes synd på denne falne engelen, som bare ville ha en litt større del av kaka enn han fikk. Historien i boken er vel allmenn kunnskap - Syndefallet, Lucifers opprør, forvisningen og Adam og Evas skapelse.
Det mest fascinerende med denne boken (ihvertfall slik jeg tolker det) er det menneskelige i Lucifer. Er det der bare for å bevise menneskets ondskap? Eller ligger det noe annet bak? Det er en tolkningsak.