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I plan to read Three Musketeers at some point. My bookstore is passing off a just over 500 page version of Monte Cristo when my copy is over 1600. About how long is Three Musketeers? So I know I'm getting the 'real thing' not some one third long 'good parts' version. Same question for Man in the Iron Mask.
Wouldn't logic suggest that the more pages, the more story?
Just get the Richard Peaver translation - it's contemporary and not abridged. It's over 600 pages, but really the length depends on type setting, doesn't it?
I just read an authentic French version, without notes. Only a little about Dumas' life with the real book beginning on page 9. The whole book is 696 pages long - 9 is then 687 pages.
And not to forget it was a pocket version of about 18cm high and 11cm wide (just so you know a little how big it is).
I would say that you should look for a version between 680 and 1000 pages. And look how the book begins: with a biography or not, long or not and also how the book ends: with a lot of notes about the story or not, so then you can look at how much space the actual story takes up.
I finally got it and its about 600 pages long so I guess that's right. I can tell that this book and (my copy of) Monte Cristo were not translated by the same person. Mainly by the french phrases they chose to or not to translate. For example in Three Musketeers he translates the phrase "My faith!" into English whereas in Monte Cristo he left it as "Ma Foi!" or just "Foi!" I like the French better. "What the devil?" just sounds very unnatural to say in English. "Diable!" sounds better.
My copy is 596 pages long. I find that if you look in the middle of the book, at the part with Milady and d'Artagnan having sex, that is a good indicator of whether or not the book is abridged. Most abridged versions leave that part out.
And I love how they say ma foi!
pegasus332, my God, do they really leave that part out???? That's one of THE moments in the book where you start to realise why this woman is like that...
I read all French books in French so I cannot actually compare, but honestly... leave that part out of it doesn't sound very professional...