The Borgias [Paperback]

Alexandre Dumas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2002

CELEBRATED CRIMES Vol I, Part 1: The Borgias There are dreadful -- perhaps scurrilous -- rumors about the Borgias of renaissance Italy, and here Dumas, author of such classics as THE THREE MUSKETEERS, in his Celebrated Crimes series, dishes up the dirt in all its ugly glory. This book was not written for children. Dumas has minced no words in describing the violent scenes of a violent time. In some instances facts appear distorted out of their true perspective, and in others the author makes unwarranted charges. The careful, mature reader -- for whom the books are intended -- will recognize and allow for this fact.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Borgo Press (July 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587159724
• ISBN-13: 978-1587159725
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as novelesque as his other works, July 13, 2004

By 

Juan C Villamil (Bogota, Colombia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Borgias (Celebrated Crimes) (Paperback)

This is one of the lesser known of Dumas' works, and it is actually the first part of his Celebrated Crimes series.

Most of Dumas' writtings are characterized by historically accurate plots together with deep, maybe a bit stereotypical characters. This book is quite different. The characters lay lifeless in the background of the historical document. It is well written and very entertaining but definitely different from his other very well known novels, such as the Musketeer series, Montecristo, the Black Tulip, and so on.

Quite honestly, in my opinion, his novels are much better than his non-fiction works such as this one.

Regarding form, I was overwhelmed by how careless the editors of this edition are. Theres quite a few typos PER PAGE! Once you're able to overlook this detail, this is a fine read.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History, February 5, 2011

By 

Peter A. Dotto (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Borgias (Hardcover)

This is not a novel, but a collection of historical facts and rumors that souuround the Borgia clan. A little sensationalistic and written with a moralizing tone, but a fascinating read. Dumas sometimes cites sources and other times does not so its not always easy to seperate facts from rumors from speculation. He certainly buys into the murder, poisionings, rapes, incest, and general licentiousness accusations that surrounded Pope Alwexander VI, Caesar and Lucretia. His listing of the Pope's illigitimate children and thier order of birth does not agree with more modern authors, but that's a minor point. This book has been used as a source for other writers on the Borgias. As I said, its a fascinating read and once you start, you can't put it down. Good introduction to how the Borgia clan got its sinister reputation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars literary translation is an art, July 11, 2011

By 

Irena Otvos - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Borgias (Paperback)

I am not judging the content but the translation. The translation is extremely poor. It is full of typographical errors and has not been proofread. I notice that the name of the translator is not on the cover. I am not surprised. I would not wish mine to appear either if I were responsible for it. Literary translation is an art this is very pedestrian. I started to read the book but then decided to read it in the original and recycle this sorry effort.