Regarding Milton's "Paradise Lost"...

Seeing as this is the Movies & Books section of SK.net, I figured I'd put the question to the literary folk amongst you.

During my long, but fast paced American Literature class this summer I've been introduced to a number of American writers between the Colonial settlers and finishing up during the end of the American civil war. We've gone through Jonathan Edwards, Wigglesworth, Jefferson, Poe, Emerson, Melville, Hawthorne, Thoreau and many others. Quite frankly, my head is just about ready to burst! However, such level of study has added some credence to my desire to read Paradise Lost. I know my little spiel about American writers linking with John Milton doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I've been feeling rather.... scholarly of late -- so I want to pick up something of wide acclaim that also appeals to me.

My question is, which of the many versions is the best to pick up? I could probably find an unadulterated copy, but I'm also looking for a decent annotation to go with it. The epic poem is lengthy and looks like it'll need to be read and reread.. so I want to make sure I do it properly. If anyone can help, I'll appreciate it!

Also, I'm open to other suggestions if there are any classic "must reads"...

To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Milton's theology; it's very much hard line Calvinism (trying to maintain free will with God as the first cause and predestination). The problem with reading it and Dante's Divine Comedy is that you wont catch the allusions and references to contemporary people and events, but I would recommend Dante over Milton any day. I would check out John Donne if you're interested in something vaguely close to that period in English literature, though his work consists mostly of poetry, of course. Ben Jonson is great as well, especially his Volpone.