Doré's Illustrations for Paradise Lost

by John Milton and Gustave Doré

Gustave Dor?'s Romantic style of illustration, supremely imaginative and richly detailed, was ideally suited to literary subjects. His wood-engraved illustrations for John Milton's monumental epic poem Paradise Lost, recounting mankind's fall from the grace of God through the work of Satan, were among his finest and most dramatic works. This volume presents superb reproductions of all 50 plates drawn by Dor? and engraved in his studios for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486277194
• ISBN13: 9780486277196
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.9" x 11.6"

Customer Reviews

Dore's Angels and Demons

I have always adored Gustave Dore's engravings on many media. Being into all things angels and demons related, I'm enthralled with the moody atmosphere depicted in here with such an aura of mejesticity that only Gustave Dore could muster. It captures the spirit of Milton's poem right on.

" ... his proud imaginations thus displayed ..."

It was by great and curious fortune, that I obtained some years ago, an aged edition of the text of Milton's incredible poem, illustrated by Gustave Dore. These illustrations are amazing. One can only ruminate on the complexity of carving such woodcuts. But, I cannot understand why Dover does not reissue the original, with the illustrations inlaid in the text. For the power of these cuts, at least in part, emanates from their placement in the text, reflecting the full intention of the artist.

A necessary companion to the Literary Masterpiece

Dore, known perhaps best for his woodcuts of Dante's "Divine Comedy", was not only a fantastic illustrator, but a prolific one as well, producing scores of woodcuts for great literature, including "The Holy Bible" and "Orlando Furioso". Before there were movies, a person could look at these pictures for motion, excitement, and dramatic storytelling. This is a necessary companion to "Paradise Lost", a great work in its own right. Dore's illustrations clarifies, vivifies, and expands on the reading experience. The pictures are brilliantly reproduced here at a small cost to the consumer. The book stands alone for great artwork and is worth the minimal price.

Stunning Display of Woodcut Artistry

It is amazing how such complex woodcuts could be done! Some of these are used in books. An example is the book cover illustration of the book "Raising Hell: A Concise History of the Black Arts and Those Who Dared Practice Them" (ISBN: 0399522387).If you like to see high standard of woodcuts, get this book.

An exceptional gathering of his finest work!

This is with out a doubt the best of Gustave's biblically inspired works. His mastery is proven by creating a visually stunning and poetic world of a time long ago but not forgotten. It's hard to remember what I used to imagine when I thought of the Garden of Eden or the descension of the fallen angels must've been like prior to reading this work.