First published in 1848, La Dame aux Camélias—known to English readers as Camille—tells the story of Marguerite Gautier, the most admired courtesan in Paris, who wears camellias when she can receive callers and stays home when she cannot. When the young Armand Duval falls sincerely in love with her, Marguerite dares to imagine a quieter life beyond the salons of the Boulevard de la Madeleine, until sacrifice and misunderstanding intervene. Told partly through Armand's recollections and partly through Marguerite's heartbreaking journal, it remains one of literature's most moving portraits of love and renunciation. Drawn from Dumas fils's real romance with Marie Duplessis, the novel scandalized and captivated France, inspired Verdi's La Traviata, and became one of the most performed plays of its age. This edition presents the complete, unabridged original text, together with a new introduction and reader's notes illuminating the history, characters, and enduring legacy of a timeless tragic romance. Part of The Founding Texts Library.