Memorable novels

Les Trois Mousquetaires
The Three Musketeers


"Tous pour un, un pour tous."

This book was first serialized in March - July 1844.

It is set in the 17th century, in 1625, following the adventures of the young man d'Artagnan. He leaves his home of Paris with the hope of fulfilling his dream, becoming a Musketeer of the Guard.

When he reaches Paris, a series of unfortunate happenings at the home of one of his father's friends, he is challenged by each of the three musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. This, however, proves to be a much more difficult task to fulfill than to say.

When he begins to fight his first challenger, Athos, they are interrupted by the Cardinal's guards with the possible threat of arrest due to their forbidden dueling. The three musketeers and d'Artagnan unite to defeat the guards and soon escape thereafter.

When they find a temporary home and he buys himself a slave, the protagonist of the story meets with Constance Bonacieux, whom happens to be the beautiful wife of his landlord. This woman also happens to be the woman that he falls in love with...

With the looming threat of possible attacks and even the kidnapping of his most recent beloved, d'Artagnan sets out with his newly found friends to find reason in the meaning in that which he came to Paris for in the first place.

"The very first sentences of his preface Alexandre Dumas indicated as his source Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan, printed by Pierre Rouge in Amsterdam. It was in this book, he said, that d'Artagnan relates his first visit to M. de Tréville, captain of the Musketeers, where in the antechamber he met three young men with the names Athos, Porthos and Aramis. This information struck the imagination of Dumas so much—he tells us—that he continued his investigation and finally encountered once more the names of the three musketeers..."

Dumas was so enraptured by the book Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan, capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi(Memoirs of Mister d'Artagnan, Lieutenant Captain of the first company of the King's Musketeers) that he continued to research on it, bringing forth the novel that is well known today.
 
The story of d'Artagnan is continued in the books Twenty Years After and The Viscomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. Those three novels put together make up Dumas' d'Artgagnan Romances.

 Le Comte de Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo  

"I have played the part of Providence in recompensing the good, may the god of vengeance now permit me to punish the wicked!"

This book was first published in 1844.

Follow a man named Edmond Dantès throughout his life in this popular classic novel. The story begins explaining Dantès' life as a young and productive sailor of nineteen, his two best friends, and his beautiful fianceé named Mercédès.

Tensions are lurking on the horizon of each of his friend's minds.

Enter Fernand Mondego, Dantès' best friend. He also happens to be head over heels for Mercédès. While she only has eyes for Edmond, his longing refuses to be quenched. With Edmond near, he stands no chance. And so, the logical explanation was to get rid of him.

A series of events follow that not only denounces Edmond as a traitor amongst the Bonapartists, but also lands him in prison for more than ten years. Revenge is the only thing on his mind. While Fernand, Danglars, and Villefort had taken everything away from him, he wants bitterly to bequeath that pain onto them as well.

Follow a man named Edmond Dantès as he passes through the trials of life, vengeance the only thing that really keeps him alive.

Dumas may have gotten the idea for The Count of Monte Cristo from reading a police report on a very similar case. The tale of a shoemaker told from police archivist, stated that this shoemaker was bethrothed to a very rich woman, but his four friends, overcome with jealousy, accused him of being a British spy and landed him in jail for seven years.