This biography views Bunyan's works in the context of the social, political and religious context of the times, concentrating on his humble origins, the revolution of the 1640s and his experience in the Parliamentary army and the trouble of censorship and persecution. Christopher Hill won the W.H.Smith Literary Award and became interested in Bunyan after giving a lecture on him in 1978, as part of Bedford's celebration of the tercentenary of the publication of The Pilgrim's Progress. Hill is a respected historian, having written over 20 books on the 17th Century.