Alexandre Dumas · 1844 · Chapman and Hall translation, 1846
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) opens with a young sailor, Edmond Dantès, days from his wedding when a false accusation sends him to prison for fourteen years — and the rest of the novel is what he does with his freedom and fortune after. The Questioner reading companion in IO reader keeps asking what his revenge actually costs him.
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PART I · PARAGRAPH
On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples.
On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples.
The Count of Monte Cristo · Alexandre Dumas
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The facts
| Length | about 461,000 words · 16,360 sentences |
|---|---|
| In sentence cards | about 1091 minutes |
| Difficulty | steady |
| First line | On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples. |
| Themes | Marseilles · Rome · Paris — Revenge |
Is The Count of Monte Cristo hard to read?
It's one of the longest books in this batch, but a fast-moving revenge plot carries it. In sentence cards it's about 1,091 minutes.
Which translation is this?
The anonymous 1846 Chapman and Hall translation, in the public domain.
How long is The Count of Monte Cristo?
About 461,000 words; roughly 16,360 sentences.
Read The Count of Monte Cristo in IO reader
Colophon
Text: Chapman and Hall translation, 1846, from Project Gutenberg (pg:1184). Cover: Standard Ebooks CC0 cover, alexandre-dumas/the-count-of-monte-cristo/chapman-and-hall. Reviewed 2026-09-04.