How many Musketeers does it take to make a successful anything (a book, a TV show, or a movie)? Three! as in the three musketeers (well, actually four, if you include d’Artagnan)

So I am reading a romance novel, among the many books on my currently-reading set. This one is by Lisa Kleypas, one of my favorite authors in that genre. What I loved discovering in this book were made-up words – like horriculous or pomposterous. That reminded me of the fact that I love to make up words too – I prefer that type of make up way more than the one that goes on one’s face 🙂 and led me to wonder why I am spending more time making up words nowadays. Come to think of it, unless it was in a poem (and maybe rarely in a post), I have not used made up words here on my blog. That will come to a stop now! Well, don’t you worry though; I am not going to barge you with made up words but spring them on you, like a delighprise, every once in a while.

But that what was not this post was going to be about at all. Today’s post is to feature ‘The Three Musketeers‘ by Alexandre Dumas for my ABC Wednesday‘s letter T. As I researched it, I realized that the book I had read years ago was definitely an abridged version – one of those Classics for Children publications.  I need to read the unabridged version myself as there is way more to the book than what I recall of it in my version of the book – the one I read as a tween. So I am saving that unabridged version to my TBR pile (sigh! that is my TBR pile sighing by the way).

Moving on to the featured item, you might have read the classic book yourself (or seen any one of the various TV or movie versions based on it) but did you know these facts about the book and its author? Read on to find out for yourself:

• Dumas took historical events and facts and reinterpreted them, or rather weaved with his imagination, into wonderful stories for all to enjoy. This was one such novel.
• Well, it was not really a novel at first. Like many other books at the time, it was first serialized from March to July 1844 in the newspaper Le Siècle , which is one of the reasons why many of the chapters end in a cliffhanger type of situation.
• Dumas based the stories of the three musketeers on the Mémoires de M. d’Artagnan, capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi  (translated to the Memoirs of Sir d’Artagnan, Lieutenant Captain of the first company of the King’s Musketeers) by Courtilz de Sandras . Dumas borrowed the book from the Marseille public library in 1841, and never returned it! He kept the book with him when he went back to Paris, and I am hoping I can get to see the card-index of the book that remains that way to this day.
• Dumas wrote this book and its sequels in collaboration with a French author Auguste Maquet.  Maquet provided plot guidelines based on historical research he did for the books while Dumas used that and rewrote the plots to get to the finished book imbued with his own unique voice, which ensured the success of the books. The sequels – Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, along with this book, are together known as the d’Artagnan Romances. The third book in this trilogy (The Vicomte….) is actually published in English in three parts, the most famous one of which is known as ‘The Man in the Iron Mask‘ (another one of my favorite Dumas reads).
• Athos, Porthos, and Aramis (the three musketeers!), as well as d’Artagnan, are all based on real people, while Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, Monsieur de Trevill are all real historical figures.
• The Three Musketeers was translated into three English versions by 1846, one of them is still in print and fairly faithful to the original (by William Barrow (1817–1877) – though many scenes were omitted from the book to conform to the 19th century English standards).
• The motto ‘One for all, and all for one (Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno), the motto of Dumas’ Three Musketeers, and the traditional motto of Switzerland, has since become a motto for friendships too!

Sources: Wikipedia and ManOflaBook among others

Buy it on Amazon

Buy the annotated version on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

Buy it on Book Outlet

Read it on Gutenberg!

Editions for children:

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it on Book Depository

Buy it on Book Outlet

And if you were wondering what the many books I am currently reading (and one I just finished reading) are, here they are:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain – a book that has been on my mind for a long time now and I am finally starting to read it. There will be a review on the blog when I do finish it!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kodo – another one on my mind forever now, and one I desperately need! Maybe I should post a review of this one with before and after photos of my closet 🙂 I am going to put this to practice and see what happens (still in the first chapter right now)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin – I just closed the book on its last page earlier today. I read the book on the recommendation (Read insistence) of my 15 yo as he wanted to discuss the book (and its end, and the way the book was written, and more) with someone, that someone being me! I am glad I read the book and will post a review soon.

Devil in Spring: The Ravenels, Book 3 by Lisa Kleypas (the book I mentioned earlier)

The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet – this book is in my NetGalley eARC collection still. The book was released just last month and I hope to finish reading it by next week so I can post a review. I am enjoying it so far.

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma – another NetGalley eARC I received which was published last week and hoping to get back to it soon

50 Ways to Feel Happy: Fun activities and ideas to build your happiness skills – yet another one (eARC, I mean!) in the Review coming soon category, folks!

This post goes towards ABC Wednesday‘s round 22 – letter T (my theme for ABC Wednesday’s Round 22 is children’s books – I will pick one popular (and sometimes the not so popular/the unknown) book – classic/modern/old/new… – and write about it – be it a backstory or facts or something else completely

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