Posts

Showing posts from December, 2022

"Monte Cristo": A Play by Charles Fetcher, updated by James O'Neill (1883)

Image
Monte Cristo : A Play by Charles Fetcher, updated by James O'Neill (1883) Finally! I have located a book of the Charles Fetcher/James O'Neill play, Monte Cristo , to satisfy my curiosity! Some background: The Count of Monte Cristo , as a book, was an instant hit all over the world. Alexandre Dumas himself had adapted it for stage, but the results were not successful- it was too large and too long and required audiences to attend for 2 evenings. By 1868, Charles Fetcher had written a stage-play and starred in his own adaptation of Monte Cristo , which bombed. In 1870, Fetcher had further edited down the work. By 1883, James O'Neill had picked up the torch, playing Dantes onstage, and eventually buying up the rights to Fetcher's play.  O'Neill modified Fetcher's script, and the play became a hit, with O'Neill playing Edmond Dantes over 6,000 times in a 40 (!!!) year period. This version is still being performed...

Monte Cristo Wording Comparisons in Different Editions: First Paragraph

Image
Monte Cristo Wording Comparisons in Different Editions: First Paragraph So you're in an antique or used book store, and you spot a vintage edition of The Count of Monte Cristo . Or you're browsing ebooks and you spot one with a different cover. Do you have that one already? Is the text content different from what you already have? Is it abridged? Is it something unique? Where did it really come from? What IS it? Let me help you! There ARE wording differences between the famous 1846 Chapman-Hall translation, and its various abridged offspring, new translations or new re-worded adaptations! So these random dusty tomes or ebooks from unknown companies can usually be identified by looking at the first paragraph on the first page. Who knows! Maybe you're finding something good, or avoiding something not-so-good (e.g. Standard Abridged Edition).  You can find my complete book recommendations here: Go to: Monte Cristo Abridged for Teens and Adults It...

"The Sultan of Monte Cristo" by Holy Ghost Writer

Image
"The Sultan of Monte Cristo" by Holy Ghost Writer (2013) "Holy Ghost Writer" is a pen name for an anonymous writer who sought to expand the Universe of Monte-Cristo by writing a series of books, starting in 2012-2013 that was supposed to take Edmond Dantes from his original adventure in The Count of Monte Cristo into the future with his descendants. It was a very ambitious goal, but remains unfulfilled. After a flurry of activity in 2013, and two books in 2015, HGW's Monte Cristo output died down. But more on this topic later. HGW's first book of the series is an abridged version of Dumas' original, with some Sherlock Holmes/Dr.Watson chatter inserted, so the book can be sold as The Count of Monte Cristo as Retold by Sherlock Holmes . For a complete review of that book, read it here (scroll to the final review on the page). Go to: Monte Cristo Abridged for Teens and Adults The Count and his new wife, Haydee are headed to Alban...