First published in 1848, &quot;The Lady of the Camellias&quot; is a&nbsp;novel&nbsp;by&nbsp;Alexandre Dumas&nbsp;<i>fils</i>. The novel was subsequently&nbsp;adapted&nbsp;by Dumas for the&nbsp;stage.<br /><br />Known to all as &ldquo;<i>the Lady of the Camellias</i>&rdquo; because she is never seen without her favorite flowers, Marguerite Gautier is the most beautiful, brazen, and expensive courtesan in all of Paris. But despite having many lovers, she has never really loved&mdash;until she meets Armand Duval, young, handsome, and hopelessly in love with her.<br /><br />One of the greatest love stories of all time, this novel has fascinated generations of readers. Dumas&#39;s subtle and moving portrait of a woman in love is based on his own love affair with one of the most desirable courtesans in Paris.&nbsp;The novel has been inspiration for Verdi&rsquo;s opera&nbsp;<i>La Traviata</i>, the Oscar-winning musical&nbsp;<i>Moulin Rouge!</i>, and numerous ballets, stage plays and films.