The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) finished in 1844. Along with The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo is one of Dumas' most well-known and beloved works. With plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet, Dumas crafts a timeless tale of betrayal and revenge.
The Count of Monte Cristo takes place in France, Italy, and various islands in the Mediterranean Sea during the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. The story begins on the day that Napoleon left Elba, the isle of his first exile, starting the Hundred Days when Napoleon returned to power. This significant, tumultuous historical setting is a crucial element of the novel, a tale of adventure revolving around themes of vengeance, mercy, hope, forgiveness, and justice. The novel centers around a young man, Edmond Dantès, who is wrongfully imprisoned, subsequently escapes from jail, acquires a vast fortune, and then sets about exacting elaborate revenge on those responsible for his unjust imprisonment.
Edmond Dantès, first mate of the Pharaon, a nineteen-year-old Frenchman, is falsely accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial. Held in the Château d'If, a forbidding island fortress off Marseille, Edmond befriends a fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria. Faria correctly deduces that Edmond's jealous rival Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate Danglars, and double-dealing magistrate De Villefort unjustly turned him in. Faria inspires Edmond's escape from the fortress and guides him to a fortune in treasure. Then, as the powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond arrives from the Orient to enter the exclusive Parisian world of the 1830s. Through complex plots and schemes, Edmond ultimately avenges himself on the wretched men who conspired to destroy him.
A true literary classic, The Count of Monte Cristo has delighted and captivated readers for well over a century becoming a literary fixture celebrated worldwide.
This illustrated edition in five volumes includes hundreds of hand-drawn pictures complementing the rich text. An interactive table of contents eases navigation and facilitates enjoyment of this delightful classic.
