A masterpiece of the English Puritan tradition, The Pilgrim's Progress is renowned for the simple beauty of its language, the abundance of its biblical references, and its vivid characterisations. The story is an allegory of the Christian life recounted as a dream, in which the protagonist Christian sets out from the City of Destruction on an arduous journey to the Celestial City. On the way, Christian encounters like-minded pilgrims such as Faithful and Hopeful, as well as various tempters, false friends, and monstrous adversaries. The most dreadful of all - the Giant Despair and the River of Death itself - stand between Christian and his ultimate destination. Translated into more than one hundred languages, The Pilgrim's Progress continues to captivate readers worldwide, even after three centuries!