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The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) Hardcover – Deckle Edge, August 25, 1999

by Lemony Snicket (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,224 ratings
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NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy. 

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor.


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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 13
    A Series of Unfortunate Events
  3. Print length
    162 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    5 - 6
  6. Lexile measure
    1010L
  7. Dimensions
    5 x 0.74 x 7 inches
  8. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  9. Publication date
    August 25, 1999
  10. ISBN-10
    9780064407663
  11. ISBN-13
    978-0064407663
  12. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. Sometimes, just saying that you hate something, and having someone agree with you, can make you feel better about a terrible situation.
    Highlighted by 2,892 Kindle readers
  2. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over.
    Highlighted by 2,771 Kindle readers
  3. If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven’t, you cannot possibly imagine it.
    Highlighted by 1,876 Kindle readers
  4. They didn’t understand it, but like so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so.
    Highlighted by 1,734 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble. While it's true that the events that unfold in Lemony Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl (remember James and the Giant Peach and his horrid spinster aunts), Charles Dickens (the orphaned Pip in Great Expectations without the mysterious benefactor), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies). There is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the Baudelaire children in The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." So cautions Snicket, the exceedingly well-mannered narrator of these two witty mock-gothic novels featuring the misadventures of 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and infant Sunny Baudelaire. From the first, things look unfortunate indeed for the trio: a fire destroys their home, killing their parents along with it; the executor of their parents' estate, the obtuse Mr. Poe (with a son, Edgar), ignores whatever the children have to say; and their new guardian, Count Olaf, is determined to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. But by using their individual gifts (Violet's for inventing, Klaus's for reading and researching and baby Sunny's for biting) the three enterprising children thwart the Count's planAfor now. The author uses formal, Latinate language and intrusive commentary to hilarious effect, even for readers unfamiliar with the literary conventions he parodies. The peril in which he places the Baudelaires may be frightening (Count Olaf actually follows through on his threats of violence on several occasions), but the author paints the satire with such broad strokes that most readers will view it from a safe distance. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over; readers eager for more misfortune can turn to The Reptile Room, for an even more suspenseful tale. Exquisitely detailed drawings of Gothic gargoyles and mischievous eyes echo the contents of this elegantly designed hardcover. Age 9-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0064407667
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (August 25, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 162 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780064407663
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0064407663
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 11 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1010L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 6
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.74 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,224 ratings

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Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket

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Lemony Snicket claims he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. He is the author of several other unpleasant stories, including those in the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Lump of Coal.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
9,224 global ratings
Great book and finished in no time at all!
4 Stars
Great book and finished in no time at all!
What a great book! I had a great time reading it and enjoyed it very much. Emotional detail is included throughout the book about the orphans troubled times and the guardians they go through after their parents died in a fire. The characters in Snicket's books are characterized so well, with great detail included. I found it very interesting how Snicket included himself in the books, saying that he has been researching the Baudelaire (the orphans) for many years and how he writes it to be a true story, saying he is hiding from people that are trying to keep him from telling the Baudelaire's story. Overall, a great book and a quick and entertaining read.
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Top reviews from the United States

Malin Torstensen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greater childrens books there is
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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Im so happy I found this book series again!
I read them so long ago, and theyre as good as i remember!
A very quick read. Now it is time to pass the books on to my daughter.
Hopefully she will love them as much as I did and still do.
It is a horrible, dreadful life the Beaudelaires have to endure, but it is not in any way inappropriate or too scary or too detailed in the bad scenes, so it fits kids very well. It is a nice read when you want a little kid friendly dystopian read.
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C. SAWYER
5.0 out of 5 stars Was missing this from my set.
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
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It showed up in Great condition. Matches the rest.
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StokkenesIT
4.0 out of 5 stars Great children book
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
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This is a short, easy children's book. If I had read this when I was younger, I bet I'd have fallen in love. Bad things happen, and there are many lessons. It's not gonna be difficult for a kid to read this, because the author adds difficult words for children and explains what it means, and the author is very good at making sure you now understand the word by repeating it. The book itself surprised me with its quality. Good material and it overall looks really good. I'm an adult, so this didn't exactly make me interested in continuing the series, but if I had children myself, I'd read this book for them
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Yahweh's Toaster
5.0 out of 5 stars got some good reviews, and I got curious
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2017
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Let me preface this with I'm about to turn 30. I don't have kids, I'm not overly interested with any child rearing.

I knew about these books years ago, but I felt at the time I'd be too old for them. I knew about the movie based on them and, again, felt a little too old from what I saw in the trailers. Netflix made a series about it, got some good reviews, and I got curious. After finishing the first season (which is all there is as of the writing of this review), I'm actually considering getting a tattoo. I've read up, and knowing that the author of the books also did the screenplay for the Netflix series....this might not be the most wholly honest review in the world since I haven't read the entire book, but I do have my bit to say after seeing the series based on the same book(s) that had its screenplay written by the same author.

I've read the first chapter and skimmed the rest (which cements that last paragraph), and I am kicking myself for not reading this earlier. These books were literally published at a time in my life that I would've appreciated them the most. Here are lessons that I sorely needed at the time, and I know practically every teen needs to know these things: (1) What makes you unique doesn't make you weird, it makes you useful, (2) Adults don't know everything, no matter how much they say they do, (3) Manipulative and abusive personalities should be avoided at all costs, as should their "flying monkeys," so to speak (4) "Clueless" adults may just be naive, even willfully so, but they can be very good people at heart and brought back to your reality with enough perseverance.

These amazing messages are delivered in a melancholy way, but I would argue that many tweens and early teens feel melancholy themselves. I know I did. The unfortunate events in this book are so over the top that you can't help tie them to real events in your own life at times. I've always rolled my eyes at books aimed at this age demographic, yet here I am at almost 30, and chomping at the bit to tear my way through the series. I'm not going to lie....I'm expecting to learn another life lesson along the way that I somehow skipped over after all these years.
26 people found this helpful
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MJ James
5.0 out of 5 stars The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2017
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A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Bad Beginning

by. Lemony Snicket

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Book Length: 188 pages
Genre: Children, Children's Chapter, Middle School

It has been a while since I last read this book and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed returning to its pages. The most unique, intriguing, and frustrating aspect of the book is that the main character of the story could be argued to be the narrator. Everything is told through the voice of Lemony Snicket, which is actually the narrator and not the author's actual name. The style is not a typical style for most children's books and it is pulled off with success.

The writing style is amazing. You are pulled into the story, engage with all the characters, and before you know you have finished the tale. I almost went and immediately bought the next book. The only thing that stopped me was the huge pile of books I currently have to finish. It truly is no wonder that this series has obtained such success.

There is one aspect of the writing style that I found quite annoying. The narrator continually defined the words that he and the other characters were using. As the story progressed the other characters also begin defining the words that they were using. It was annoying because I am an adult reader who was well aware of what all these words meant. Yet, while I was quite engaged by the story the book was not written for me. It was written for middle school readers who are still increasing their vocabulary. The first time I encountered Snicket's unique way of defining words in a story I knew what he was doing. While I, as an adult reader, was slightly annoyed I was also kind of awed by his genius. He has this book that he doesn't want to dumb down for his readers, yet he also doesn't want to loose their interest as they encounter words they may not be familiar with. To decrease the frustration of reading by including the definitions into the quirky flow that already existed in the novel is nothing short of genius.

As reviewed on The Book Recluse Review.
32 people found this helpful
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Mackenzie R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Above expectation
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
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The book came in better shape than I thought! Literally no wear or tear at all! It did tske a little longer to ship to me but I got a perfect book for a fraction of the price and it's basically new! I will order from this seller again!
2 people found this helpful
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Cristina Brito
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
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She loves it
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Top reviews from other countries

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K.T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2023
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Just as I remembered from when I was a kid. Perfect condition and quick delivery.
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K.T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2023
Just as I remembered from when I was a kid. Perfect condition and quick delivery.
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Mrs Pi
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous!!
Reviewed in Germany on July 13, 2023
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I love the language and storytelling of Lemony Snicket. He manages to do magic with simple words. I bought this first volume of the series out of pure curiosity and to brush up on my English skills. Even as an adult, I was able to immerse myself immediately in the childish world of the Beaudelaire siblings and read the book through in one go. The plot captivated me. On to the second part!
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Rani Kumari
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on June 1, 2023
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Good
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Haroon Yousuf
5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2021
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This book I first read 20 years ago, as a child, and now my niece is the same age as when I got introduced to the book in school, not only did I love it, but she does too, and she's now getting into reading even though for a long time she didn't like books, and when I offered her to buy it she said no, but now that she's read the first chapter she always reads at night.

This is a great book to introduce to children, yes there's no happy ending (not a spoiler, the blurb says it itself, and there are 13 books in the series.) But still it is great for children, and to be honest even an adult would like the books themselves in my opinion.

The book comes with a book mark built in, in the form of a string (I don't know the name for it) and is very high quality, and would be great for collectors too.
2 people found this helpful
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Susy Blanco Alvarez
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente compra !!!
Reviewed in Mexico on July 21, 2019
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Mi hija encantada con el libro, altamente recomendable, le gustaron tanto que hicimos el esfuerzo y ya compramos toda la saga que son 13 libros, el extra es que práctica su inglés
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