The Princess Bride - by William Goldman (Paperback)

About the Book

In this 30th anniversary edition, Goldman frames the famous fairy tale with an "autobiographical" story: his father abridged the book as he read it to his son. Now, Goldman is publishing an abridged version, interspersed with comments on the parts he cut out.

Book Synopsis

This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.

As a child, I was read the "good parts" version of S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure, and that is what I give to you. It is the story of Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in a hundred years, who loves and loses her Westley. It is the story of a kidnapping, a chase, and a daring rescue by a mysterious man in black.

This timeless adventure is a story of fencing and fighting, of torture and poison, of hate and revenge. It is a tale of giants and hunters, of brave men and bad men, of escapes and miracles. And, of course, it is a story of true love.

From the Back Cover

A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts--The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.

As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchman, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she'll meet Vizzini--the criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik--the gentle giant; Inigo--the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen--the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup s one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.William Goldman has been writing books and movies for more than forty years. He has won two Academy Awards (one for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and one for All the President's Men), and three Lifetime Achievement awards in screenwriting. "

Review Quotes

"[Goldman's] swashbuckling fable is nutball funny . . . A 'classic' medieval melodrama that sounds like all the Saturday serials you ever saw feverishly reworked by the Marx Brothers." - Newsweek

"One of the funniest, most original, and deeply moving novels I have read in a long time." - Los Angeles Times