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The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Alexandre Dumas pčre , Robin Buss
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (341 customer reviews)

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The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (580)
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Book Description

May 27, 2003 Penguin Classics
Translated with an Introduction by Robin Buss.


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The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) + Les Misérables (Signet Classics) + The Great Gatsby
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Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robin Buss is a writer and translator who works for theIndependent on Sunday and as television critic for The Times Educational Supplement. He studied at the University of Paris, where he took a degree and a doctorate in French literature. He is part-author of the article 'French Literature' in Encyclopaedia Britannica and has published critical studies of works by Vigny and Cocteau, and three books on European cinema, The French Through Their Films (1988), Italian Films (1989) and French Film Noir (1994). He has also translated a number of volumes for Penguin Classics.


Robin Buss is a writer and translator who works for theIndependent on Sunday and as television critic for The Times Educational Supplement. He studied at the University of Paris, where he took a degree and a doctorate in French literature. He is part-author of the article 'French Literature' in Encyclopaedia Britannica and has published critical studies of works by Vigny and Cocteau, and three books on European cinema, The French Through Their Films (1988), Italian Films (1989) and French Film Noir (1994). He has also translated a number of volumes for Penguin Classics.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 1276 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reissue edition (May 27, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140449264
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140449266
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.2 x 7.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (341 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

I loved the plot, the writing style (Dumas is very witty), and the characters. Lotrlover1  |  94 reviewers made a similar statement
ABRIDGED V UNABRIDGED Abridged versions of this book rarely say "abridged." J. Cooper  |  62 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
637 of 644 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars ROBIN BUSS's TRANSLATION from PENGUIN CLASSICS August 28, 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is for those who've already decided they want to read The Count of Monte Cristo (you won't regret it!), and don't know which version to get.

Short answer: see review title, duh!

The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book, and I've read several translations, both abridged and unabridged.

TRANSLATION
The Buss translation is the most modern, and reads most fluidly. A quick example comparing this translation with the one found on Project Gutenberg:

PG - His wife visited for him, and this was the received thing in the world, where the weighty and multifarious occupations of the magistrate were accepted as an excuse for what was really only calculated pride...

BUSS - His wife visited on his behalf; this was accepted in society, where it was attributed to the amount and gravity of the lawyer's business -- when it was, in reality, deliberate arrogance...

Buss's work reads like the book was written in English. The two or so times that the work is nearly untranslatable, Buss makes a footnote about it (eg, an insinuated insult using the formal "vous" instead of the familiar "tu"). Other translations just skip the subtlety. The most common translation out there (uncredited in my version) reads like a swamp. Trust me, get Buss.

ABRIDGED V UNABRIDGED
Abridged versions of this book rarely say "abridged." You can tell by the size: abridged is 500-700 pages, unabridged is 1200-1400 pages. Go for the unabridged.

The abridged version is VERY confusing! Pruning 1200 pages down to 600 leaves a lot of plot on the cutting room floor. Suddenly, arriving at dinner are 4 new characters; it's very tiring to try to keep up with the hole-ridden story of the abridged versions. And you know where the holes are? Publishers "clean up" the book by omitting the affairs, illegitimate children, homosexuality, hashish trips, etc.

As an added bonus in the Penguin Classics edition, there's a wonderful appendix bursting with footnotes to explain all the 19th century references, and a quick guide to the rise and fall of Napoleon (crucial to the politics in the story).

Hope this helps. Get the book and start reading!
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305 of 313 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping tale of love and revenge February 22, 2004
Format:Paperback
Warning: Do NOT pick this book up and start it if you have something that you need to do in the next day or three. You won't be able to put the book down, or if you do, you'll move zombielike through your everyday tasks while your mind stays with the adventures of Edmund Dantes.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a delicious book, full of intrigue, great fight scenes, love, passion, and witty social satire. Dumas has a wonderful grasp of human nature and a talent for rendering all the follies of man in delightful, snappy prose. I immediately recognized people that I know (yes, even myself) in his vivid characters, which made the book all the more engaging to me.

Some people might be put off by the size of the book -- it's a pretty hefty volume -- an tempted to buy the abridged version. Don't! I've heard from people who've read both versions that the abridged version is a pathetic, washed out shadow of the full novel. At any rate, as thick and impossibly long as The Count of Monte Cristo may seem when you open it for the first time, you'll feel as though it's far too short by the time you get to the last page.

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63 of 64 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars just perfect November 2, 2003
By D. Long
Format:Paperback
I agree with the reviewers that this is one of the best books ever written. I read this book as part of a book club and probably never would have read it on my own--having read many of the books of Hugo and Dickens and other writers of that approximate era. I love both of these writers but find them both at times cumbersome and stilted and really wasn't in the mood for another. However, I could not put the Count of Monte Cristo down. This book seems freshly modern in writing style compared to these superb writers. From the beginning it is a page turner--almost Harry Potter like in its ability to have action, adventure and drama on almost every page. If you read the unabridged version you will find some allusions to morality and the wrongness of revenge which I enjoyed. But what makes the book great is the grandeur of the writing, the tightness of a wonderful plot, filled with subplots, the development of the characters, and the constant magic of combining romance and adventure. It is the ultimate romance book. If you watched the most recent version of the movie, you might be disappointed at the lack of sword fights, but there is never a lack of adventure and suspense. It might be 1400 pages long, but it never disappoints.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation & book
This is the second time I have read the Count of Monte Cristo, and I must say that this translation is stellar. Very easy to read. The story is incredible (though quite long!).
Published 11 days ago by J. Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever written
This is my favorite book of all time. Wait and hope are watchwords for me. This is an epic story of revenge written masterfully that stands the test of time. Read more
Published 23 days ago by TruxtonSpangler
5.0 out of 5 stars Retribution and Revenge!!!
The Greatest book on getting back at the folks who have wrong you. I have liked this book ever since elementary school, it is my 5th time reading it and the third arthur. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Eugene Spencer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I got this book for my son.
He said it was great!
Took a very long time to read it.
Published 25 days ago by Rossie A Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Not perfect, but a good story. The end notes in this edition provide many details that make the book easier to 'get' today.
Published 1 month ago by Matthew Christensen
5.0 out of 5 stars Top quality for full version!
Such an incredible story, the shorter versions of Dumas' work just doesn't do it justice. Highly reccomend this book and vendor who shipped very quickly!
Published 1 month ago by Susan Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Wished the story would go on forever
I must say that before reading the book, I watched the movie and of course I loved the book far more than the movie. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Evangheline
5.0 out of 5 stars The long wait was worth it!
I've waited more than 30 years for a good English translation of Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Martha Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars classic book
wife loves book , she cant put it down. I will read it next. book arrived on time and in good shape. bill was correct.
Published 1 month ago by rob handyman
5.0 out of 5 stars My Favourite Book
The unabridged version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" is my favourite book. The translation's easy to understand and I couldn't find any spelling or grammatical errors. Read more
Published 2 months ago by MeiJade Hsu
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If you are a fan of "The Count of Monte Cristo," then you have to read... Be the first to reply
Question about the timeline
3 to 4 months
Feb 19, 2013 by Sanders Strull |  See all 2 posts
What scenes left brought back in this translation for 1846 one?
The lesbianism and cross dressing bit by one of the characters is left out. I think there's more but it's directly addressed by Buss in the intro.
Jan 9, 2011 by G. Kincade |  See all 2 posts
Question about this version (Robin Buss version).
In BOTH translations there are slight errors in chronology. Without giving spoilers, it has to do with very minor childhood memories. Dumas has people remember events that happened slightly before they're born, or that so-and-so's grandparents were at some event they couldn't possibly have... Read more
Sep 7, 2007 by J. Cooper |  See all 5 posts
Robin Buss' translation
according to the copyright page, it is the 1996 edition "Reissued with new Chronology and Further Reading 2003.`"
Dec 4, 2008 by Don Tyson |  See all 3 posts
Is this version unabridged or not?
If you're talking about the Penguin Classics edition, I have it and yes, it is unabridged.
Feb 10, 2007 by Heather Klaff |  See all 3 posts
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