The Man in the Iron Mask

“Mr. Ellsworth has brought to his translation not only the knowledge of an expert but the tireless devotion of a fan. He’s also made the laudable decision to retain the French for the musketeers’ signature interjections.” – Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal
Praise for the Musketeer novels translated by Lawrence Ellsworth:

“The opportunity to hold a ‘new’ book from Alexandre Dumas in my hands and immerse myself once again in the stories of his beloved Musketeers is a joy and an honor, and allows readers to pay homage to one of the pillars of classic European literature who is still so vital today.” * Bookreporter *
“Newly translated, this sequel to The Three Musketeers is as fresh as ever. In Lawrence Ellsworth’s excellent, compulsively readable translation. Dumas never stints the action, witty dialogue and surprising plot developments.” – Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
“Sparkles and shines. Races along with pointed humor and broad quips. Fun permeates this big book. The rest of this year’s fiction will have to look sharp: An old master has just set the bar very, very high.” * Christian Science Monitor *
“The test of a translator is his capacity to capture this characteristic interplay of the heroic and the ribald; the sincere and the ironic; the vanished past and the approaching present. And at this task Ellsworth succeeds, giving us a Three Musketeers with more clarity, energy, and simplicity than any previous English edition.” * Open Letters Review *
“Dumas’s trademark gifts at crafting engaging historical romances are amply in evidence in this lengthy yet fast-paced volume. Ellsworth’s translation captures a complete narrative. A very entertaining epic.” * Publishers Weekly (starred) *
“Ellsworth successfully balances the need to make a translation comprehensible to its current audience with the duty to preserve the original author’s voice. Dumas’s brilliance is highlighted by the word choices that Ellsworth makes, and it’s the totality of these choices by Ellsworth that makes Between Two Kings sparkle.” * The Historical Novels Review *
“Fans of The Three Musketeers can rejoice in the 800-page English translation of this largely forgotten sequel.” * Newsday *

One of the most famous French writers of the nineteenth century, Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) first achieved success in the literary world as a playwright, before turning his hand to writing novels. In two years from 1844 to 1845, he published two enormous books, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Both novels have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Lawrence Ellsworth is the pen name of Lawrence Schick. An authority on historical adventure fiction, Ellsworth is the critically praised translator of Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, The Red Sphinx, Blood Royal, Between Two Kings, and Twenty Years After. He lives in northern Maryland.

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