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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."… (more)
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William Goldman
Illustrated by Mark Thomas
Featuring giants, duels, man-eating swamp rats and, of course, true love, Goldman's funny and poignant lampoon of the fairy-tale tradition has inadvertently become a classic of the genre.
Mythologised by the author as the 'Good Parts' version of a magnificent book by the 'great Florinese writer', S. Morgenstern, The Princess Bride is a gripping tongue-in-cheek fairy tale. It tells the story of Buttercup, an exceptionally beautiful girl who rises from unlikely beginnings to receive the dubious hand-in- marriage of the barrel-like Prince Humperdinck. Meanwhile her true love, Westley the farm boy, must cross perilous seas, climb the Cliffs of Insanity, fight off man-eating swamp rats and survive the abominable Zoo of Death to rescue her from a grisly end. Fast-paced and funny, The Princess Bride lampoons the fairy-tale tradition but is at once a classic in its own right.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Bound in cloth blocked with a design by the artist
328 pages
Frontispiece and 9 colour illustrations
Printed map endpapers
Set in Warnock
Printed slipcase
9½˝ × 6¼˝
IT'S STILL MY FAVORITE BOOK IN ALL THE WORLD
‘One of the funniest, most original, and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time’ LA Times
Author William Goldman is best known for his novel Marathon Man. He also wrote the award-winning screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This edition of The Princess Bride includes the first chapter of the 'sequel', Buttercup's Baby, and Goldman's introductions to the 25th and 35th anniversary editions, which embellish the myth surrounding the original text. 'It's still my favorite book in all the world,' he writes, 'and more than ever, I wish I had written it.' They also comment on the cult 1987 film directed by Rob Reiner. Mark Thomas has created 10 colourful illustrations depicting some of the story's most dramatic moments, and an endpaper map tracing Westley and Buttercup's journey.
ABOUT WILLIAM GOLDMAN
William Goldman is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He was born in Highland Park, Illinois, in 1931, and published his first novel, The Temple of Gold, in 1957. He began writing screenplays in 1965, and is now considered one of the most successful screenwriters and script doctors in Hollywood. He has won two Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Best Adapted Screenplay for All the President’s Men (1974). As well as The Princess Bride, his best-known novel is the thriller Marathon Man (1974); Goldman adapted both books for film.
ABOUT MARK THOMAS
Mark Thomas studied Graphics at Kingston-upon-Thames Polytechnic in England, where he achieved a BA Hons. He is experienced in all areas of illustration, including advertising, film and theatre posters, television, stamp design, and editorial and book illustration. He has won D&AD Awards, and a joint BAFTA Award for his work on The Singing Detective. He illustrated The Princess Bride for The Folio Society in 2013.