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.

This is the first critical edition of Bunyan's dark and vigorous delineation of provincial vice, a book he described as "the Life and Death of the Ungodly and their travel from this world to Hell." First published in 1680, his tale of the greedy, lustful, and exploitative shopkeeper Badman is a vivid account of small-town life in the late 17th century, providing in its realism a precursor to the novel while embodying in its moral abstraction the values and mythology of 17th-century Puritan society. Based on the only authentic extant first edition of 1680, this new edition includes a full introduction and commentary.

'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