The princess bride : S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure : the "good parts" version
(Book)

Originally published in 1973.

Presents the timeless love story between a farm boy named Westley and the beautiful Princess Buttercup, along with the author's comments on life and art as he attempts to edit the children's classic. A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts. William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests--for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love--that's thrilling and timeless. Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible--inconceivable, even--to equate "The Princess Bride" with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an "abridged" retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to "Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions."

As Florin and Gulder 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 henchmen. She is 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 adventure, you'll meet Vizzini, the evil Sicilian & criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik, the Turk, the gentle giant; Inigo, the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Westley, princess Buttercup's one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate; Prince Humperdinck, the eviler ruler of Guilder, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Miracle Max, the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); The Dread Pirate Roberts, supreme looter and plunderer of the high seas; and Count Rugen, the evil mastermind behind it all; and, of course, Buttercup, the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world. This timeless tale pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey and brilliant tale is peppered with strange beasties monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime. -- Publisher description.