John Milton’s epic poem about the fall of Adam and Eve, considered one of the greatest literary works in the English language, was first published in 1667 with a second edition in 1674 and many more thereafter.
The 1667 edition was a ten-book epic containing none of the front matter or the arguments (summaries) beginning each book. Responding to concerns from readers and his publisher, Milton added an explanation of the poem’s blank verse (i.e., why it doesn’t rhyme) and the summaries (arguments) to each book. The second edition of 1674 also broke Book 7 into Books 7 and 8 and Book 10 into Books 11 and 12.