First published in 1847 and a sequel to &ldquo;Chicot the Jester,&quot; Alexandre Dumas&rsquo;s historical novel &ldquo;The Forty Five Guardsmen&rdquo; tells the story of Diane de M&eacute;ridor&rsquo;s quest for revenge upon Duc d&rsquo;Anjou &ndash; for his heinous betrayal of Bussy d&rsquo;Amboise.&nbsp;<br />Historically it commences with the execution of Salc&egrave;de and the arrival of the Forty Five at Paris, and deals with the Guise intrigues, the campaign of Anjou in Flanders and his death; the events in the novel take place in 1584 and 85.<br /><br />A must-read for those who have enjoyed the previous books in this saga, &ldquo;The Forty Five Guardsmen&rdquo; is worthy of a place on any bookshelf, and is not to be missed by the discerning collector. The novel is the third volume of <i>The Valois Trilogy</i>, coming after &quot;Queen Margot&quot; and &quot;Chicot the Jester&quot; in that order.