VALIANT PILGRIM

This appeared in England under the title In the Steps of John Bunyan and that more accurately describes the approach to the man and his times. The author and the reader are a part of the whole, in a way that would not be likely in straight biography. Yet, on the other hand, Miss Brittain has taken liberties of imagination in recording conversations and including incidents that are supposititious. The strength of the book lies in the careful analysis of England of the days of the Long Parliament, the restoration, the seething currents of religious ferment. Bunyan's own battle for peace of mind- his fervent dedication to the cause of the dissenters, even to the acceptance of years of imprisonment and a permanent atmosphere of fear which he refused to yield to. Out of his own life his writings grew, and she has linked them intimately. And yet, somehow, John Bunyan, the man, rarely takes precedence over John Bunyan, the zealot. The format of the book is unprepossessing, narrow margins and crowded text, but the photographs are very interesting.