The Mark of Zorro (Townsend Library Edition)

Always wanted to read it. A great classic - love and swashbuckling adventure. Don't deny yourself an enjoyable fun story.

After being disappointed by the new Allende book on Zorro, I went in search of the original. What a lark! It's everything the Allende book is not: suspenseful, humorous (the response of Don Diego's prospective in-laws to hearing him sing and play guitar the first time is priceless), and exciting. You love the daring of the fox, and his passion to enlist others in a just cause (Allende leaves you wondering if Zorro possesses any motivation other than puerile lust). Eighty-five years after Zorro first appeared, he still has the power to make us wish that noblemen possessed nobility. The prose is simple and direct, unpretentious and effective. There will always be those who want to profit from a legend, but trust to the original. It's no Count of Monte Cristo, but it's ripping good adventure.Allende made me ask "When will it end"; McCulley makes me ask "Does it have to end?"

A good read

I just re-read the original Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley out loud to my son, 12-year-old AR. I had forgotten how much fun this book was! Senor Zorro, (the Fox!) defends the common people of the Pueblo Reyna de Los Angeles from injustice. The exact time period is rather sketchy - "Spanish California", sometime between 1769 - 1848. Our Hero, Zorro, the "Curse of Capistrano", sets about to right wrongs and to aid the down-trodden poor civilians from the oppression of the government and the soldiery. He is everything a lover of clean action novels could want: gentlemanly, good-to-the-core, amazingly clever, strong, and rich enough to be able to afford the nest swords and fastest horses. He is also cleverly disguised as the lethargic and effeminate Don Diego, heir to a fortune. Don Diego has been told by his father, Don Alejandro, to take a wife. Dull and languid Don Diego cannot win the love of beautiful Senorita Lolita, but as the manly Zorro!... This provides enough clean, old-fashioned love interest to give Zorro another good reason to cross swords with every bad guy in the territory - and there are plenty of bad guys! There have been a plethora of Zorro movies, books, comic books, and spin-offs, some good, some decidedly not so good. Forget 'em all and read the original. ~ CR

A while ago, I decided to give this beloved character another chance by reading The Mark of Zorro, the original novel written by Johnston McCulley and published in 1919. Though we’re not sure who was the real bandit behind the legend of Zorro, the story of the charming Mexican Robin Hood still lives on through films, books and pop culture in general, Since the dawn of time, people were fascinated by heroes who fought for the truth and Zorro isn’t an exception. The masked fencer believes in freedom and justice; therefore he protects the oppressed from corrupt authorities."He runs up and down the length of El Camino Real like a goat of the high hills! He wears a mask, and he flashes a pretty blade, they tell me. He uses the point of it to carve his hated letter Z on the cheek of his foe!" (Loc 43) "He has robbed none except officials who have stolen from the missions and the poor, and punished none except brutes who mistreat natives." Loc 125McCulley’s novel is set in California, in the early 19th century, when this region was still under Spanish rule. On the top of the social pyramid stood powerful aristocratic families whose obsession was to keep their bloodline pure as well as their honour. However, Don Diego de la Vega seems to be the exception to the rule because he dislikes most things a caballero does. He detests violence and the idea of finding a wife of noble blood isn’t too appealing to him. Don Diego is a sensitive young man who enjoys reading poetry and behaves like a whiny dandy. He is so lifeless and unpassionate that even the woman he ought to court mocks him. In contrast to Don Diego’s blend personality, Zorro is courageous risking his life to help the oppressed Native Americans, friars and Caballieros. Unlike Don Diego de la Vega, who avoids combat and shies away from wooing Senorita Lolita Pulido, Zorro is passionate, a skilful fencer and the man who steals the young lady’s heart.The Mark of Zorro is an action-packed story about courage, heroism, honour, breaking social norms, truth and love. I’ve noticed that the characters are pretty underdeveloped, the dialogue is usually flat, the historical background is very thin and the story is pretty racist and sexist, which reflects the mentality of the time. Despite all its weaknesses, the book is fast-paced, plot-driven and Zorro’s adventures are so seductive that you can’t stop rooting for him.In the end, though The Mark of Zorro is not a masterpiece in a literary sense, it gave us one of the most famous heroes in pop culture. If you’re looking for a fast-paced action-packed novel, give Johnston McCulley’s novel a try!

I have always been a fan of the movie The Mask of Zorro. I decided it was high time I read some of the original books. This was great! What fun! I only guessed the twist halfway through the book and it made me read the rest of it with a smile on my face - excited to read how everyone else would react in the story when all was revealed at the end. It did not disappoint! I could see myself reading this over and over again.

First read as a young boy, and now again at 70! In these troubled times, one can appreciate anew the story of one man turning the tide against oppression from corrupt government.

very good

Ottimo, aiuta molto nello studio dell'inglese. Di semplice lettura è facile comprensione. Diviso in brevi capitoli si riesce a leggere nei ritagli di tempo libero

This ,the original story of the masked avenger remains one of the best Zorro stories to be written.The format of this edition is true to Johnston Mcculley's pulp masterpiece.It remains a very interesting, easy read and has a good table of contents and an informative introduction.

Always good to read the original story which spawned serials and movies about a legendary hero of the oppressed in pre Californian days. No the good read is the Bridge of San Luis Rey, which downstream excellent movie!