Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1902. Orleans Edition. One of 250 numbered sets extra-illustrated with water color illustrations, of which this is number 70. Finely bound in three-quarter crushed morocco over marbled boards and embossed in gilt. Top edges brightly gilt, all other edges untrimmed. Marbled endpapers. Inside and out, a beautiful set with striking illustrations bringing Dumas' greatest works to life.

Along with The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo cemented Dumas’ reputation as France’s premier adventure writer and a forefather of popular fiction. "First to sheer narrative power -- Dumas was a master of narrative -- and secondly to the theme. It is a story for all time, a 19th-century version of 'The Arabian Nights,' a gorgeous piece of escapism from the drudgery of daily life" (Sudley). The present 53 volume set brings together a significant gathering of the author's literary oeuvre, not only in a beautiful binding but with the further addition of numerous water-colored illustrations that bring the adventure and romance of his works to life. Fine (Item #4185)