The Count of Monte Cristo

One of the grandest tales of adventure, Alexandre Dumas’s epic novel of revenge, perseverance, lost love, and self-invention—now a PBS Masterpiece miniseries starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons

“My desert island book . . . No matter how many times I revisit it, I find new lines to appreciate, new narrative corners to explore.”—V. E. Schwab, The New York Times Book Review

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of the Château d’If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.

Robin Buss’s lively translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas’s original. This edition includes an introduction, chronology, explanatory notes, and suggestions for further reading.

Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was the son of Napoleon’s famous general Dumas. A prolific author, his body of work includes a number of popular classics, including The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mas k.

Robin Buss (1939–2006) was a writer and translator who worked for the Independent on Sunday and as television critic for the Times Educational Supplement . He was also the translator of a number of volumes for Penguin Classics.