300 Years Ago: The Pilgrim’s Progress published

First posted 11/11/2025.

The Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan

First Publication: 1678 Category: novel/Christian allegory Sales: 125 million (estimate)

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book: This tale of “man’s progress through life in search of salvation” AZ has become “universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language.” AZ It “has been translated into more than 200 languages,” WK “is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature,” WK and is “often rated as important as the Bible as a Christian document.” AZ “It has also been cited as the first novel written in English” WK and “one of the most widely read books in the English language” AZ “and has never been out of print.” WK “Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county prison for…holding of religious services outside…the established Church of England.” WK The resulting story is “one of the most entertaining allegories of faith ever written. Set against realistic backdrops of town and country, the powerful drama of the pilgrim’s trials and temptations follows him in his harrowing journey.” AZ “Each step…becomes a dramatic rendering of an inner state of the human psyche.” BN Christian, the hero, “journeys from ‘the wilderness of this world’ to the glory of the Celestial City.” BN “Along a road filled with monsters and spiritual terrors,” AZ he encounters “Faith, Hope, Mercy, Envy, Ignorance, [and] Guilt: These are not abstract concepts, but the names of vividly imagined, sharply drawn human characters.” BN He also confronts “the nearly irresistible allure of material splendor at Vanity Fair; the crushing psychological burden of depression and despair in the Slough of Despond; and the fear and uncertainty that eats away at faith in Doubting Castle.” BN Resources and Related Links: AZ Amazon BN Barnes & Noble WK Wikipedia