Alexandre Dumas, Pere

In the months of March-July in 1844, in the magazine Le Siecle, the first portion of a story appeared, penned by the celebrated playwright Alexandre Dumas. It was based, he claimed, on some manuscripts he had found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a history he planned to write on Louis XIV. They chronicled the adventures of a young man named D'Artagnan who, upon entering Paris, became almost immediately embroiled in court intrigues, international politics, and ill-fated affairs between royal lovers. Over the next six years, readers would enjoy the adventures of this youth and his three famous friends, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, as their exploits unraveled behind the scenes of some of the most momentous events in French and even English history.

The Man in the Iron Mask

Summary: Black Tulip In 1672, the people of Holland reverses the republic of John and Cornelius de Witt brothers to restore stadtholdership and entrust William III of England. Indifferent to these political events, the godson of Cornelius, Cornelius van Baerle, thinks only make a black tulip, for which the Horticultural Society of Haarlem has promised a reward of one hundred thousand florins (see "tulip mania"). His project will be upset by the accusation of betrayal against him and the stratagems of a jealous neighbor, Isaac Boxtel. However, the hope of seeing that quest lead reborn with the meeting of the beautiful Rosa. A doctor by training, Cornelius van Baerle is a horticulturist and dedicates its work to the production of the black tulip. It is imprisoned because he holds the Buitenhof letters that his godfather Cornelius de Witt handed to him and which show a correspondence between John de Witt and the Marquis de Louvois. Sentenced to death, he was pardoned in extremis by William III of England and imprisoned for life in the fortress of Loevestein."

The Black Tulip

The first of two sequels written for "The Three Musketeers," Dumas' beloved characters return for more adventurous duty in "Twenty Years After." As the title suggests, two decades have elapsed since D'Artagnan and his friends have prevailed over the evil machinations of Cardinal Richelieu and the icy Milady. However, danger and political intrigue still abound in both France and England, where the former is on the brink of civil war and the latter is nearly in the control of Cromwell. Add to these situations the scheming Cardinal Mazarin and the malevolent Mordaunt, son of Milady, and the retired Musketeers find themselves whisked out of retirement and directly into the chaotic swirl of stratagems, conflicted loyalties, and the effects from the passage of time in this impassioned fight for Queen and country.

Alexandre Dumas, Pere

About

Books

Join the club