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#OnThisDay April 27, 1667: John Milton, blind and living in reduced circumstances after the turmoil of the English Civil War and the Restoration of the monarchy, sells the copyright of his epic poem Paradise Lost to publisher Samuel Simmons for £10, with the promise of additional payments if the book sold well. Paradise Lost, a masterful retelling of humanity’s fall from grace, would become one of the most influential works in the English language, rivaling the impact of Shakespeare and the King James Bible.