Front cover image for The bad beginning

The bad beginning

Lemony Snicket (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
"Dear Reader, For the past twenty years, my books have been upsetting the countless readers who have been foolish enough to begin to read them. The three Baudelaire siblings and their lives of misery and woe have now been responsible for more than two decades of weeping. From the very first page of this book, when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, to the last page, when something goes wrong at the worst possible moment, disaster strikes Violet, Klaus and Sunny wherever they go. In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast. I have spent the last twenty years writing down these unpleasant details so that they might be available to the general public, but there is nothing stopping the general public, or you, from putting this book down at once and reading something less upsetting, if you prefer that sort of thing. With all due respect, Lemony Snicket"--Back cover

Print Book, English, 2021
Egmont UK Limited, London, 2021