The son of a tinsmith, John Bunyan was born in 1628 near the village of Bedford, England. There he was raised and trained for his father's trade, receiving but scant formal schooling. At seventeen, during the English Civil War, he entered the Paliamentarian army; by the time of his discharge, two years later, he had developed a deep concern with religion, and soon became a preacher in the Non-conformist Fellowship of Bedford. The first of hi numerous religious tracts appeared in 1656, but it was not until ten years later that he wrote hi first memorable work, "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners." His religious activity caused him repeated imprisonment throughout his mature life; he may even have begun "The Pilgrim's Progress" in Bedford jail. Part I was published in 1678, and won instant and enormous popularity; it was followed by part II in 1684. during this period Bunyan's two other notable works also were written, "The Life and Death of Mr. Badman" (1680) and "The Holy War" (1682). His last years spent as an itinerant preacher, Bunyan died in 1688; his grave is in the Dissenter's burial ground, Bunhill fields, London- the final resting place of George Fox, Daniel Defoe, and William Blake.