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The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

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The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Cover

ISBN13: 9780156035156
ISBN10: 0156035154
Condition: Student Owned
All Product Details

 

Staff Pick

You've probably seen the movie, but you should definitely read the book, for it's a hilarious gem. Worth it for Goldman's asides about Morgenstern's "original text" alone.
Recommended by the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Team, Powell's City of Books

Synopses & Reviews

Please note that used books may not include additional media (study guides, CDs, DVDs, solutions manuals, etc.) as described in the publisher comments.

Publisher Comments:

A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts — The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.

As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she'll meet Vizzini — the criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik — the gentle giant; Inigo — the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen — the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup's one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.

Review:

"One of the funniest, most original and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"His swashbuckling fable is nutball funny...a 'classic' medieval melodrama that sounds like all the Saturday serials you ever saw feverishly reworked by the Marx Brothers." Newsweek

Review:

"Goldman introduces a brilliant cocktail of characters...to weave an adventure story made complete by its healthy portions of romance, wit, and heroism. The Princess Bride is a timeless fairy tale recreated in a family-oriented form that appeals to people of all ages and reading tastes." Children's Literature

Synopsis:

Eventually to be adapted for the silver screen, The Princess Bride was originally a beautifully simple, insightfully comic story of what happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world — and he turns out to be a son of a bitch.

Guaranteed to entertain both young and old alike by combining scenes of rousing fantasy with hilarious reality, The Princess Bride secures Goldman's place as a master storyteller.

Synopsis:

With over one million copies in print, S. Morgenstern's classic fantasy, in the abridged "good parts" version by William Goldman, is a readers' favorite.

Synopsis:

William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless.

 

Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”

Synopsis:

William Goldmans beloved novel has sold over one million copies. A movie, released twenty years ago, perfectly captured the spirit of the book and has introduced new fans to its pages ever since. In 1941 a young boy lies bedridden from pneumonia. His perpetually disheveled and unattractive father, an immigrant from Florin with terribly broken English, shuffles into his bedroom carrying a book. The boy wants to know if it has any sports. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." And the little boy, though he doesnt know it, is about to change forever. As Goldman says, "What happened was just this. I got hooked on the story." And coming generations of readers will, too.
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About the Author

William Goldman has been writing books and movies for more than forty years. He has won two Academy Awards (for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men), and three Lifetime Achievement Awards in screenwriting.
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Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction to the 30th Anniversary Edition vii
Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition xxxi
The Princess Bride 1
Buttercup's Baby: An Explanation 359
Buttercup's Baby, Chapter One: Fezzik Dies 389
Reading Group Guide 451
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
marsroever, January 2, 2010 (view all comments by marsroever)
An old favorite I read again last year - it was so good I read it again this year. This novel is a masterpiece which is a true pleasure to read. If you have not read this classic, do so. The movie is great, but there are good bits from the book that had to be left out. Even the Introduction is a work of art.
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D.B. Pacini, July 10, 2009 (view all comments by D.B. Pacini)
An Extraordinary Fantasy:

I always think it is astonishing when readers/reviewers become aggravated because a fantasy story is not really true. This is a delightful, fantastic, and endearing fictional fairytale that's a classic. There are so many reviews, mine is just another on the gigantic pile. All I can add: This book should be in your home library.
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Angel of Starlight, December 8, 2007 (view all comments by Angel of Starlight)
This story is very different from the popular film, but it is still a respectable work of modern fantasy. It is sometimes very dark, however, and that does include the ending. As the novel's narrator himself puts it, though, "You have to admire a guy who calls his own book a classic before it is even published."
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780156035156
Author:
Goldman, William
Publisher:
Harvest Books
Author:
O'Connor, Marianne Gunn
Subject:
Fantasy - Historical
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Adventure stories
Subject:
Love stories
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-Fantasy-Historical
Copyright:
2007
Edition Number:
Reprint ed.
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
October 8, 2007
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 9
Language:
English
Illustrations:
One black-and-white map
Pages:
464
Dimensions:
9 x 6 in 1.45 lb
Age Level:
from 14
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Related Subjects


Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » Historical
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Sale Books
History and Social Science » American Studies » Popular Culture

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$8.00 In Stock
Product details 464 pages Harvest Books - English 9780156035156 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

You've probably seen the movie, but you should definitely read the book, for it's a hilarious gem. Worth it for Goldman's asides about Morgenstern's "original text" alone.

by the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Team
"Review" by , "One of the funniest, most original and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time."
"Review" by , "His swashbuckling fable is nutball funny...a 'classic' medieval melodrama that sounds like all the Saturday serials you ever saw feverishly reworked by the Marx Brothers."
"Review" by , "Goldman introduces a brilliant cocktail of characters...to weave an adventure story made complete by its healthy portions of romance, wit, and heroism. The Princess Bride is a timeless fairy tale recreated in a family-oriented form that appeals to people of all ages and reading tastes."
"Synopsis" by , Eventually to be adapted for the silver screen, The Princess Bride was originally a beautifully simple, insightfully comic story of what happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world — and he turns out to be a son of a bitch.

Guaranteed to entertain both young and old alike by combining scenes of rousing fantasy with hilarious reality, The Princess Bride secures Goldman's place as a master storyteller.
"Synopsis" by , With over one million copies in print, S. Morgenstern's classic fantasy, in the abridged "good parts" version by William Goldman, is a readers' favorite.
"Synopsis" by , William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless.

 

Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”
"Synopsis" by ,
William Goldmans beloved novel has sold over one million copies. A movie, released twenty years ago, perfectly captured the spirit of the book and has introduced new fans to its pages ever since. In 1941 a young boy lies bedridden from pneumonia. His perpetually disheveled and unattractive father, an immigrant from Florin with terribly broken English, shuffles into his bedroom carrying a book. The boy wants to know if it has any sports. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." And the little boy, though he doesnt know it, is about to change forever. As Goldman says, "What happened was just this. I got hooked on the story." And coming generations of readers will, too.
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