Originally published in 1973, The Princess Bride has been adored by legions of devoted fans and made into a further cultural phenomenon by Rob Reiner's 1987 film. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this classic tale, acclaimed fantasy artist Michael Manomivibul brings us his own take on Goldman's world, showing us anew the wonders of Florin—home not only to Westley and Buttercup, but also to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.” Accenting and illustrating Goldman's original text will be thirty full-page color illustrations and twenty spot drawings. A perfect gift for fans of all ages, this Princess Bride has been given the royal treatment.
The Princess Bride
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The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly complimentary views of the text. Much admired by academics, the "Classic Tale" nonetheless obscured what Mr. Goldman feels is a story that has everything: "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. Passion. Miracles."
Goldman frames the fairy tale with an "autobiographical" story: his father, who came from Florin, abridged the book as he read it to his son. Now, Goldman is publishing an abridged version, interspersed with comments on the parts he cut out.
Is The Princess Bride a critique of classics like Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers, that smother a ripping yarn under elaborate prose? A wry look at the differences between fairy tales and real life? Simply a funny, frenetic adventure? No matter how you read it, you'll put it on your "keeper" shelf. --Nona Vero --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"One of the funniest, most original and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time." -- Los Angeles Times
"[Goldman's] 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
"[Goldman's] 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
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent book, as long as you don't go into it wanting a conventional fantasy novel. At some points during the reading, you will realize that Goldman did not write the book intending for it to be a pure fantasy, but perhaps more of a satire of reality. His entire point in writing it was to show readers that they are in the real world. The characters and happenings are so far fetched because Goldman wants us to realize that life isn't a fantasy.
If you've seen the movie, read the book to get more out of the story. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book and then see it. If you've already read the book, why are you looking at reader reviews?--I mean--buy the movie.
Oh yeah... there are plenty of reviews here saying that this book is so horrible because Goldman cut hundreds of pages out of S. Morgenstern's original Princess Bride. Do not pay any attention to these reviews... these people have been misinformed. S. Morgenstern was a fictional writer invented by Goldman. He is just a character in Goldman's story. This story is not abridged, as it may seem(The 'Good Parts' Version). It is just a tale that Goldman made up, or maybe his father made it up, or maybe his father's father... the point is, the tale was never WRITTEN anywhere else until Goldman came along, so you are not missing anything in reading THIS version. Please do not go and try to find S. Morgenstern's original... that would be an impossibility, as well as a waste of time.
If you've seen the movie, read the book to get more out of the story. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book and then see it. If you've already read the book, why are you looking at reader reviews?--I mean--buy the movie.
Oh yeah... there are plenty of reviews here saying that this book is so horrible because Goldman cut hundreds of pages out of S. Morgenstern's original Princess Bride. Do not pay any attention to these reviews... these people have been misinformed. S. Morgenstern was a fictional writer invented by Goldman. He is just a character in Goldman's story. This story is not abridged, as it may seem(The 'Good Parts' Version). It is just a tale that Goldman made up, or maybe his father made it up, or maybe his father's father... the point is, the tale was never WRITTEN anywhere else until Goldman came along, so you are not missing anything in reading THIS version. Please do not go and try to find S. Morgenstern's original... that would be an impossibility, as well as a waste of time.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Bill Carr
Format:Hardcover
The Princess Bride was released in '74, way back when I was 14 years old. My father tossed it to me after he had finished it and told me I would like it. I liked it so much I was one of the many (suckers) who sent away for the reunion scene between Westley and Buttercup that Goldman offered on page 153 of the paperback. Heck, I was 14, I wanted more of the story, and if all it was going to cost me was a stamp....
I'm 48 years old now, and I still read this book every once in a while; it never gets old. Sometimes I find myself skipping ahead a little, then I remember Fezziks logic "fool, fool, back to the beginning is the rule."
No matter the genre of books you prefer, be it horror, mystery, sci-fi, and no matter your age, you must, MUST read this book. It has been in my top 10 since I was 14. My 8 year old son wants to read it which I think is fantastic, because he'll have 6 years on my first reading it.
I'm 48 years old now, and I still read this book every once in a while; it never gets old. Sometimes I find myself skipping ahead a little, then I remember Fezziks logic "fool, fool, back to the beginning is the rule."
No matter the genre of books you prefer, be it horror, mystery, sci-fi, and no matter your age, you must, MUST read this book. It has been in my top 10 since I was 14. My 8 year old son wants to read it which I think is fantastic, because he'll have 6 years on my first reading it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By nsim
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A witty and elegant subversion of the fantasy genre.
**********
It astonishes me that some of the reviewers below never figured out that the book of which this one purports to be an abridgment /doesn't exist./ There never was an S Morgenstern, nor were there kingdoms of Florin and Guilder (the names of medieval coins, not countries.)
/The Princess Bride/ is a novel about the relationship between a sick boy and his grandfather. The grandfather emigrated to America as an adult. During the boy's confinement, the grandfather reads him their fictitious ancestral country's national novel, cutting and reworking as he goes to transform it into a straightforward adventure story the boy will enjoy. The problem of teaching a child born in America to identify with his national heritage is a difficult one; after all, people from the old country smell funny, eat weird things, talk with accents, and don't know anything about baseball. I imagine that Goldman himself comes from an immigrant family. In that light, this book is in part his response as an adult to his memories growing up, and it is warm and engaging.
But Goldman manages not to let this turn into treacle by combining it with an adventure story so good that they made a movie out of it. The scenes with Fred Savage in the movie are not extraneous, they're vital to the book's unique quality: naive self-consciousness. It's a book that's basically about someone reading a book (take that, postmodernism,) but it uses the metatextual conceit to add to the story by giving it a deeper social significance rather than to detract from it by making it the object of games with meaning. We accept both the realistic world of a boy coming to terms with his family and heritage, and the fantastic world of ROUSes, Holocaust Cloaks, and Humperdinck's life-suctioning machine.
You can read this book simply for the adventure story, which is what many people appear to have done, but in my opinion, there's a better novel written around the adventure story than in it. Whichever you prefer, I suppose.
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Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
BUYER BEWARE!!!
This is a review of this particular listing not the book. The book is fabulous. The listing is not.
This listing is for more than one book. Read more
This listing is for more than one book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by ~
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even more quirky than the movie!
I had already seen the movie before I read the book. In order to fully appreciate the movie, you've got to read this quirky, comical, and unique book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by AGW
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romance
This was a well written book that has so many layers of meaning, but the plot is good just as a light read as well.
Published on Dec 27 2010 by Tina Townsend
4.0 out of 5 stars
great once you know the truth
i loved this book. i saw the movie in school, and got the book a few years ago for christmas. I put of reading it for a while, cause the abrigment description parts started to bug... Read more
Published on Oct 16 2006 by bibliophile girl
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Point-of-View
As I read the other reviews, I have to laugh to myself. The first time I read this book, the interjections drove me crazy. Read more
Published on Sep 17 2006 by an avid teenage reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
too enjoyable to pass up
one of my favorite books of all time! this book doesn't need to be critiqued, it just needs to be enjoyed. hilarious, exciting, and romantic all at the same time.. Read more
Published on Sep 6 2005
4.0 out of 5 stars
I totally fell for it... for a while.
I loved the movie (1987) so when I saw the book in my favourite used bookstore, I thought I'd pick it up to see how it compared. Read more
Published on Aug 30 2005 by Jason Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book
This is truly a wonderful book. It is full of imagination and humor, lots of zany humor. Even though it is a very lengthy story you forget all about its length ( I didn't want it... Read more
Published on Jun 23 2004 by lolly
3.0 out of 5 stars
Use it to indoctrinate the young
Let me be very clear: I did not have any exposure to The Princess Bride in any of its forms until the tender age of 20. Read more
Published on Jun 22 2004 by Touche LaRue
4.0 out of 5 stars
good, but...
I picked up this book because the book's description grabbed my interest - bolding characters' names and whatnot. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004
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