18 February, 1678: John Bunyan publishes the” Pilgrim’s Progress”. Puritan preacher John Bunyan publishes “The Pilgrim’s Progress” the best selling book (apart from the Bible) in history. The allegorical tale, which describes Bunyan’s own conversion process, begins  “…I saw a man clothed with rags…. A book in his hand and a great burden upon his back.”

The Pilgrim’s Progress, was first published in Holborn, London in an edition of 191 pages. It was an immediate success with more editions until Bunyan’s death in August 1688. The English text comprised some 108,260 words and it has never been out of print. It is been read around the world  and translated into more than 200 languages.