Just as it was one hundred and sixty-five years ago, Alexandre Dumas's 'The Count of Monte Cristo' remains one of the most popular novels in world literature. Sequels have been written, it has been staged, musicals have been created, and it has been adapted for the screen, but to this day, countless editions of this book continue to delight new generations of readers. The story of a young Parisian, whom his friends jokingly imprison, is gleaned from the archives of the Parisian police. From the master's pen emerges the sailor Edmond Dantès, a martyr of the Château d'If. Unable to receive justice, he decides to administer justice himself and takes cruel revenge on the enemies who destroyed his happiness. Dumas, perpetually plagued by debt, delights in transforming his hero into a fabulously wealthy man who scatters sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies by the handful, arranging the fates of some characters while trampling the lives of others.