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Victor Hugo
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The Man Who Laughs (Mint Editions (Literary Fiction)) Paperback – January 11, 2022

by Victor Hugo (Author), Mint Editions (Contributor)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 199 ratings
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The Man Who Laughs (1869) is a novel by Victor Hugo. Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, The Man Who Laughs is set between the 17th and 18th centuries in England, a time of political unrest and class conflict in which he identified parallels to France of the 19th century. Although the novel was largely panned at the time, it has since been recognized as one of Hugo’s greatest works. The Man Who Laughs has inspired over a dozen adaptations in film, theater, and comics, including a 1928 American silent film that served as source material for the Joker in the original 1940 issue of Batman. “Again the child set himself to sweep away the snow. The neck of the dead woman appeared; then her shoulders, clothed in rags. Suddenly he felt something move feebly under his touch. It was something small that was buried, and which stirred. The child swiftly cleared away the snow, discovering a wretched little body―thin, wan with cold, still alive, lying naked on the dead woman's naked breast.” Abandoned by a group of Comprachicos, criminals who buy and capture children for the purpose of mutilating them and forcing them to work as beggars or performers, the young Gwynplaine wanders the English coast alone. During a storm, he discovers an infant girl and her dead mother lying in the snow, and endeavors to save the child. Left with no choice but to rely on strangers, Gwynplaine joins a carnival run by the merciful Ursus, a man with a pet wolf. Horrified at first by the boy’s disfigurement, which has left a perpetual smile on his face, Ursus agrees to care for the children and soon finds that Gwynplaine is a versatile and lucrative attraction at his shows. When the Duchess Josiana attends the carnival to see Gwynplaine, now a young man, she finds herself strangely attracted to him.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

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  1. Print length
    196 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mint Editions
  4. Publication date
    January 11, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 1.35 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1513211935
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1513211930
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

During a snowstorm, a young homeless boy rescues an infant whose mother has frozen to death. Desperate for shelter, they join a carnival run by a man named Ursus. Gwynplaine, the boy, left with a perpetual grin from a mysterious disfigurement, soon becomes a main attraction at their shows. The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo.

About the Author

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a French poet and novelist. Born in Besançon, Hugo was the son of a general who served in the Napoleonic army. Raised on the move, Hugo was taken with his family from one outpost to the next, eventually setting with his mother in Paris in 1803. In 1823, he published his first novel, launching a career that would earn him a reputation as a leading figure of French Romanticism. His Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) was a bestseller throughout Europe, inspiring the French government to restore the legendary cathedral to its former glory. During the reign of King Louis-Philippe, Hugo was elected to the National Assembly of the French Second Republic, where he spoke out against the death penalty and poverty while calling for public education and universal suffrage. Exiled during the rise of Napoleon III, Hugo lived in Guernsey from 1855 to 1870. During this time, he published his literary masterpiece Les Misérables (1862), a historical novel which has been adapted countless times for theater, film, and television. Towards the end of his life, he advocated for republicanism around Europe and across the globe, cementing his reputation as a defender of the people and earning a place at Paris’ Panthéon, where his remains were interred following his death from pneumonia. His final words, written on a note only days before his death, capture the depth of his belief in humanity: “To love is to act.”

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mint Editions (January 11, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 196 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1513211935
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1513211930
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.35 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 199 ratings

About the author

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Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

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Victor Marie Hugo (/ˈhjuːɡoʊ/; French: [viktɔʁ maʁi yɡo]; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He is considered one of the greatest and best-known French writers. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry and then from his novels and his dramatic achievements. Among many volumes of poetry, Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles stand particularly high in critical esteem. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831 (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). He also produced more than 4,000 drawings, which have since been admired for their beauty, and earned widespread respect as a campaigner for social causes such as the abolition of capital punishment.

Though a committed royalist when he was young, Hugo's views changed as the decades passed, and he became a passionate supporter of republicanism; his work touches upon most of the political and social issues and the artistic trends of his time. He is buried in the Panthéon. His legacy has been honoured in many ways, including his portrait being placed on French franc banknotes.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Étienne Carjat [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
199 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the story excellent. They also mention the text font is tiny and some parts are very wordy.

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StoryVisual presentation
9 customers mention "Story"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the story excellent, holds their interest from beginning to end, and is worth reading.

"...The book has alot of narrative, goes into alot more about character Gwynplaine's background with his father, Lord Clancharlie and Gwynplaine's..." Read more

"...I’m sure the story is great, hence the 5 star rating." Read more

"Great story by segments... I mean, there were some intercalated chapters providing very detailed descriptions of nobility titles and names of people..." Read more

"A great twist on history" Read more

8 customers mention "Visual presentation"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the visual presentation of the book tiny, with no typesetting and chapter titles that read like headings. They also say the text flow is screwed up and whole pages start in the middle of the page.

"I wish it was stated that the print in this is soooo small. I have to buy my daughter, who is a teen, a magnifying glass so she can read it." Read more

"...The writing isn’t even large print—I mean, it’s pretty to look at, but very unexpected size...." Read more

"Publisher cut corners to save publishing costs, small typeface , old translation uses archaic language...." Read more

"...The font is extremely small. It is so tiny it is almost painful to read. Just make the font bigger and run the book out to more pages!..." Read more

Uh...
5 out of 5 stars
Uh...
Super excited to read this book, but holy crap, it’s HUGE! I was expecting something I could carry in my purse to the coffee shop, not some coffee table art piece. The writing isn’t even large print—I mean, it’s pretty to look at, but very unexpected size.I’m sure the story is great, hence the 5 star rating.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kris
5.0 out of 5 stars Plain and simple.......fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
I chose this book because it has wonderful pictures from the film that Universal did with Conrad Veidt and Mary Philbin, plus a stunning support cast. It's taking me some time to read the book, mainly because I'm not that familiar with Victor Hugo's work. I'm the type that....I saw the movie, why do I need to read the book. I obtained an excellent copy of the film, The Man Who Laughs, and have been smitten with Conrad Veidt ever since. His performance, the make-up.....you are riveted and almost forget the plot to the film. So, that's why I took the chance and found this book. ((((SPOILER ALERT))))

I like the film's from beginning-to-end alot better than the book's version. The book has alot of narrative, goes into alot more about character Gwynplaine's background with his father, Lord Clancharlie and Gwynplaine's future inheritance, etc. All in all, I'd read BOTH this book, and see the fantastic film by Universal.....just to see Conrad Veidt's performance, and the make-up. They sure don't make 'em like that anymore.
7 people found this helpful
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Marie Knue
4.0 out of 5 stars print soooo small
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
I wish it was stated that the print in this is soooo small. I have to buy my daughter, who is a teen, a magnifying glass so she can read it.
5 people found this helpful
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R.C.Wilde
5.0 out of 5 stars Uh...
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Super excited to read this book, but holy crap, it’s HUGE! I was expecting something I could carry in my purse to the coffee shop, not some coffee table art piece. The writing isn’t even large print—I mean, it’s pretty to look at, but very unexpected size.

I’m sure the story is great, hence the 5 star rating.
Customer image
R.C.Wilde
5.0 out of 5 stars Uh...
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2018
Super excited to read this book, but holy crap, it’s HUGE! I was expecting something I could carry in my purse to the coffee shop, not some coffee table art piece. The writing isn’t even large print—I mean, it’s pretty to look at, but very unexpected size.

I’m sure the story is great, hence the 5 star rating.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
9 people found this helpful
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Emer Rand
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book ever
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2022
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Ayn Rands favorite book. Mine too.
One person found this helpful
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Ronda Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021
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Good
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Luisfer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story by segments...
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Great story by segments... I mean, there were some intercalated chapters providing very detailed descriptions of nobility titles and names of people who bare them that I found quite distracting and boring -- many pages seemed to me as if the author just wanted to stuff up and try to lengthen the book. The story picked-up greatly after these. I would have preferred a different ending :)
4 people found this helpful
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crystal kay
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2017
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A great twist on history
One person found this helpful
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James 76
1.0 out of 5 stars Hard to enjoy
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023
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Publisher cut corners to save publishing costs, small typeface , old translation uses archaic language. Most of the book is history essays with endless minutiae. Ending was disappointing.
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Top reviews from other countries

luis
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece.
Reviewed in Spain on April 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
The slow beggining prepares the reader for an impressive developtment of the story.
It is a beautifully written book.
I enjoyed it a lot. For me, the sensation was the same as reading Hamlet: awe.
Too great to be properly judged.
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Lilly
5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressed.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a very good edition of the book. It includes useful footnotes, introduction and many other extra information which helps you understand the book even further. I highly recommended Necropolis Press as a reliable source for university students.
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Bazza
1.0 out of 5 stars A SCAM !!!!!
Reviewed in Australia on January 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
this is missing the first half of the book !!!!
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julien
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfull book
Reviewed in France on June 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
I don't know why I bought this book in english: I am french and can access it in the original language.
Great book anyway.
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S Houston
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
I watched a film version of the Man Who Laughs, and just had to read Victor Hugo's book. What an amazing story. Touching, with some of the best lines ever.
One person found this helpful
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