The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas completed in 1844. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet. Another important work by Dumas, written prior to his work with Maquet was the short novel "Georges", this novel is of particular interest to scholars because Dumas reused many of the ideas and plot devices later in "The Count of Monte Cristo".The story takes place in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815-1839: the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France. It begins just before the Hundred Days period (when Napoleon returned to power after his exile). The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book, an adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It centres on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune, and sets about exacting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. His plans have devastating consequences for both the innocent and the guilty. The book is a story of romance, loyalty, betrayal, vengeance, selfishness, and justice.The book is considered a literary classic today. According to Luc Sante, "The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of Western civilization's literature, as inescapable and immediately identifiable as Mickey Mouse, Noah's flood, and the story of Little Red Riding Hood."

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familiar—because his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used his larger-than-life feats as inspiration for such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. But, hidden behind General Dumas's swashbuckling adventures was an even more incredible secret: he was the son of a black slave—who rose higher in the white world than any man of his race would before our own time. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Alex Dumas made his way to Paris, where he rose to command armies at the height of the Revolution—until he met an implacable enemy he could not defeat. The Black Count is simultaneously a riveting adventure story, a lushly textured evocation of 18th-century France, and a window into the modern world’s first multi-racial society. TIME magazine called The Black Count "one of those quintessentially human stories of strength and courage that sheds light on the historical moment that made it possible." But it is also a heartbreaking story of the enduring bonds of love between a father and son.

This vintage book contains the second volume of Alexandre Dumas's famous adventure novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo." Set in early nineteenth century France during the time of the Bourbon Restoration, it tells the story of a man's wrongful imprisonment, his escape, and his indefatigable quest for revenge. A masterful tale of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is rightfully one the most famous novels of all time, and deserves a place on every bookshelf. Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a famous French writer. He is best remembered for his exciting romantic sagas, including "The Three Musketeers" and "Chicot the Jester." Despite making a great deal of money from his writing, Dumas was almost perpetually penniless thanks to his extravagant lifestyle. His novels have been translated into nearly a hundred different languages, and have inspired over 200 motion pictures. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing this antiquarian book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.

At the age of nineteen, Edmond Dant�s seems to have the perfect life. He is about to become the captain of a ship, he is engaged to a beautiful and kind young woman, Merc�d�s, and he is well liked by almost everyone who knows him. This perfect life, however, stirs up dangerous jealousy among some of Dant�s's so-called friends. Danglars, the treasurer of Dant�s's ship, envies Dant�s's early career success; Fernand Mondego is in love with Dant�s's fianc�e and so covets his amorous success; his neighbor Caderousse is simply envious that Dant�s is so much luckier in life than he is.Together, these three men draft a letter accusing Dant�s of treason. There is some truth to their accusations: as a favor to his recently deceased captain, Dant�s is carrying a letter from Napoleon to a group of Bonapartist sympathizers in Paris. Though Dant�s himself has no political leanings, the undertaking is enough to implicate him for treason. On the day of his wedding, Dant�s is arrested for his alleged crimes.The deputy public prosecutor, Villefort, sees through the plot to frame Dant�s and is prepared to set him free. At the last moment, though, Dant�s jeopardizes his freedom by revealing the name of the man to whom he is supposed to deliver Napoleon's letter. The man, Noirtier, is Villefort's father. Terrified that any public knowledge of his father's treasonous activities will thwart his own ambitions, Villefort decides to send Dant�s to prison for life. Despite the entreaties of Monsieur Morrel, Dant�s's kind and honest boss, Dant�s is sent to the infamous Ch�teau d'If, where the most dangerous political prisoners are kept.While in prison, Dant�s meets Abb� Faria, an Italian priest and intellectual, who has been jailed for his political views. Faria teaches Dant�s history, science, philosophy, and languages, turning him into a well-educated man. Faria also bequeaths to Dant�s a large treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo, and he tells him how to find it should he ever escape. When Faria dies, Dant�s hides himself in the abb�'s shroud, thinking that he will be buried and then dig his way out. Instead, Dant�s is thrown into the sea, and is able to cut himself loose and swim to freedom.Dant�s travels to Monte Cristo and finds Faria's enormous treasure. He considers his fortune a gift from God, given to him for the sole purpose of rewarding those who have tried to help him and, more important, punishing those who have hurt him. Disguising himself as an Italian priest who answers to the name of Abb� Busoni, he travels back to Marseilles and visits Caderousse, who is now struggling to make a living as an innkeeper. From Caderousse he learns the details of the plot to frame him. In addition, Dant�s learns that his father has died of grief in his absence and that Merc�d�s has married Fernand Mondego. Most frustrating, he learns that both Danglars and Mondego have become rich and powerful and are living happily in Paris. As a reward for this information, and for Caderousse's apparent regret over the part he played in Dant�s's downfall, Dant�s gives Caderousse a valuable diamond. Before leaving Marseilles, Dant�s anonymously saves Morrel from financial ruin.

On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, a young merchant sailor named Edmond Dantès is falsely imprisoned for life, laying to waste his plans of marriage and hard-earned fortune. Following several long years in prison he has managed to escape and reinvent himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Christo. It is the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Count has been plotting his revenge on the three men who had him falsely imprisoned. With a new identity, an incredible education abroad and a vast fortune, has returned completely unrecognizable to those who had committed their crimes against him.