This first critical edition is one of few reprints of a book which was originally published in 1680, two years after The Pilgrim's Progress, when it was described by Bunyan as 'the Life and Death of the Ungodly, and their travel from this world to Hell', in contrast to Christian's journey to heaven. In fact, Badman is not a true sequel to the great allegory; rather, it is a very different book, a dark, coarse, vigorous delineation of provincial vice. From his apprenticeship until he becomes a prosperous shopkeeper, Badman gives free rein to greed, lust, and the exploitation of others, including his virtuous wife. Puritan moral abstraction is almost buried under realistic detail in a work which looks both back to the medieval homily and forward to the novel. It is an indispensable work for the study of seventeenth-century Puritan society and its mythology; as with the same editors' The Holy War, it contains a full introduction and commentary.

John Bunyan's profile page

James F. Forrest's profile page

Roger Sharrock's profile page

James F. Forrest is at University of Alberta. Roger Sharrock is at University of London.

'edited by James F. Forrest and Professor Sharrock himself with definitive lucidity' John Drury, English Literature

'contextualizing is persuasively done and is entirely appropriate in what must without question henceforth be the standard edition of this seventeenth-century text' N.H. Keeble, University of Stirling, Notes and Queries

'fills an important gap in the literature on the subject ... His work stands out for providing a most comprehensive examination of the EPC process ... The scope of the book transcends the mere historical account and deals with issues which are essential for a thorough as well as wider understanding of EPC ... the writing skills of the author should be commended. Academics often confuse the need for lucid argumentation and clear presentation of facts with the employment of a stern or pedantic style. Nuttall avoids this trap. The argument is put forward with impeccable clarity, while his use of the English language remains imaginative and literary rather than academic.' Totis Kotsonis, London School of Economics and Political Science, Millenium