<DIV><I>The Count of Monte Cristo</i> is the ultimate novel of retribution. Based on a true story, it recounts the story of Edouard Dantès, his betrayal, and imprisonment in the sinister Chateau d’If. Years later, Paris is intrigued by the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, who bursts onto the Paris social scene with his millions. He encounters the three principal betrayers of Dantès who have prospered in the post-Napoleonic boom and, one by one, their lives fall apart. The book was a huge, popular success when it was first serialized in 1844, and remains the greatest tale of revenge.</div>