The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas (1802-70), author of The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask, was one of the most successful authors of his era. He was a celebrated writer of mixed heritage, born of a French Nobleman and a mother from the French colony of Saint-Domingue. His military education provided a rich seam for his dashing stories of historical adventure fiction, but he also wrote plays, essays and hundreds of letters.