Set during the reign of Louis XIII (1610-43) and based on actual events, The Three Musketeers is perhaps the greatest "cloak and sword" story ever written. Three Musketeers, loyal servants of the King, are joined by the dashing D'Artagnan, a veritable Byronic hero. These four are pitted against the master of intrigue, Cardinal Richelieu, and the quintessential wicked woman, Lady de Winter. Dumas was quite expert in pacing and varying action while weaving historical fact with purest fiction. This great work is the unchallenged archetype for literary romance and has been a perenial delight for generations of readers.

Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), French novelist and playwright, was born at Viller-Cotterets, the son of an innkeeper's daughter and one of Napoleon's generals. He moved to Paris in 1823 to make his fortune in the theater, and at twenty-eight he was one of the leading literary figures of his day. His complete works were eventually to fill over 300 volumes, and his stories made him the best-known Frenchman of his age.