The Bad Beginning

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Bad Beginning is the first of thirteen novels in American author Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was later released in paperback under the name The Bad Beginning; or, Orphans! The novel tells the story of three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are orphaned by an arsonous fire and sent to live with their distant and conniving cousin Count Olaf. The book was published on September 30, 1999 by HarperCollins and illustrated by Brett Helquist. The novel begins with a dedication to a mysterious Beatrice, whom Snicket describes as "darling, dearest, dead." The author then provides a brief explanation of why the book should not be read, before describing the series' protagonists: Violet Baudelaire, a 14-year old amateur inventor; Klaus Baudelaire, a 12-year-old bookworm; and Sunny Baudelaire, an infant with unusually powerful teeth.