The Princess Bride: Prologue Summary & Analysis

Goldman explains that this is his favorite book, though he's never read it. To explain, he takes the reader back to when he was ten years old. Goldman—a.k.a. Billy—loves games and hates school. His teacher, Miss Roginski, has regular meetings with his mom, Mrs. Goldman, about how poorly he's doing in school. He fails tests because instead of taking them, he thinks about football players. Miss Roginski declares that he's just a late bloomer. Goldman explains that he worshipped Miss Roginski and spent a lot of time trying to figure out how she could be his real mother, but couldn't make it work out.

Skipping ahead to age 26, Goldman publishes his first novel, The Temple of Gold. The publicity people ask him whom he wants to send advance copies to and Goldman asks them to send one to Miss Roginski. Goldman realizes he doesn't know her first name, but asks them to send it to his elementary school and labors over what to write in the accompanying note. The book is a disaster according to critics and it takes a long time for Goldman's publisher to get Miss Roginski's reply letter to him. He feels awful when he reads it: she says she hasn't read it but she's sure it's fine. Then, he flips it over and sees that she wrote that she feels more paternal than even S. Morgenstern.

Returning to age ten, young Goldman is cranky because his radio won't pick up the football game. Mrs. Goldman reminds him that it's Friday, not Saturday; the game isn't on until the next day. Billy feels humiliated for a bit and then returns to trying to pick up the football game. After a few more rounds of this, they discover that Billy is delirious with pneumonia. He spends ten days in the hospital and then a month at home, recuperating. On his first night home, Goldman's father comes into Billy's room, sits down, and opens up a book to chapter one. Billy is surprised; his father, a Florinese immigrant, is hopeless, unsuccessful, and can barely speak English.

Goldman's father explains that he's going to read The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern, a great Florinese writer, to young Goldman so he can relax. He says it has fencing, torture, revenge, pain, death, and miracles in it. Goldman says that he didn't know then that this moment would change his life: for the first time ever, he wanted to know what happened next in the story. Goldman's father reads the book to his son every night and makes it through twice in the month that Billy is in bed. Years later, Goldman continues to ask his father to read passages to him, but never reads the book himself.

Following this, young Goldman develops an insatiable passion for adventure stories. Miss Roginski recommends everything that she can, and Billy’s his love of adventure continues into adulthood. He connects all of his successes back to Goldman's father introducing him to Morgenstern as a kid. Parts of it even influenced Butch Cassidy, and he says that The Princess Bride was the best thing to happen to him. It's even better than his wife, Helen.

Goldman knows from the beginning that he wants to share The Princess Bride with his son, Jason, when Jason turns ten. He forgets this desire until, on the eve of Jason's birthday, Goldman is in California working on The Stepford Wives. He calls Helen and Helen tells him that they're giving Jason a bike for his tenth birthday. Goldman asks Helen to call one of their local bookshops and ask for The Princess Bride, a “kids' classic.”

The next afternoon, while Goldman is swimming, a gorgeous “starlet” joins him at the pool. She introduces herself as Sandy Sterling and compliments Goldman's novels. Before they can talk more, Goldman is called away to take a call. It's Helen with the news that two bookshops didn't have The Princess Bride. She seems suspicious that there's something going on but agrees to call one more shop. Goldman starts to feel guilty about Sandy and goes to his lounge chair. Sandy joins him and tries to engage him in more conversation. She implies that she'd sleep with him in exchange for a part in The Stepford Wives, but Goldman is interrupted by another phone call from Helen. Helen, being a psychiatrist, knows that something is up, so she snappily says she can't find the book and hangs up.

Sandy tries to comfort Goldman but seems less excited when Goldman starts to talk about Helen. Goldman explains he needs to get his son a particular book and steps away to make another phone call. He speaks to New York Information and a few bookstores and finally, his publishing house, where the secretary is able to give Goldman the names and numbers of every bookstore in his New York neighborhood. As Goldman calls bookstore after bookstore, Sandy gets upset and leaves the pool. Finally, Goldman speaks to one shopkeeper who has a copy of The Princess Bride in Florinese and in English. The shopkeeper angrily refuses to do anything with them until Goldman pays him.

Goldman calls his lawyer, Charley, and asks him to buy the books and take them to his house. Charley agrees and Goldman calculates that the books cost him about $250, Sandy Sterling, and two hours. At dinner the next night, Helen calls and says that Jason loves the bike and received the books. Goldman then speaks to Jason, whom he says has no sense of humor and is extremely overweight. He tells Jason that he'd appreciate it if he tried to read the books before Goldman gets home.

Two weeks later, Goldman gets home. As usual, Jason goes through Goldman's pockets for the small gifts he knows are there, and Goldman marvels at what he'll do to feel loved. Helen greets Goldman and explains that the new maid is just about ready to serve dinner. Goldman tells the reader that Helen cannot keep a maid because she scares them off. A bit later, the family sits down for the pot roast dinner. Goldman doesn't like pot roast, but he digs in. Helen calls the maid in and tells her to make the roast beef rare next time. Goldman knows that this maid won't last long.

Goldman turns his attention to Jason, who's ladling mashed potatoes onto his plate, and suggests that he go easy on the carbs. Jason decides he won't eat and Helen chastises Goldman, insisting that Jason will decide to slim down when he's ready. She turns to Jason and encourages him to eat. After a few minutes, Jason says that he loved The Princess Bride and that the first chapter was his favorite. Goldman is surprised; the first chapter is boring in comparison to the rest of it. After some questioning, Goldman ascertains that Jason hasn't actually read the book. Helen explains that the second chapter was impossible.

Goldman excuses himself from dinner and goes for a walk in Central Park. After a while, he goes home and finds Jason's copy of The Princess Bride. He notes that he and Morgenstern have the same publisher, though this book was published before one of the mergers. On the title page, Morgenstern declares his novel a classic, which Goldman finds funny. The first chapter is as Goldman remembers it, but then he realizes the problem: before the good parts in Chapter Two, there are 60 pages of Florinese court history. Goldman discovers that the book isn't a kids' book; it's a satirical history of Florin and of the decline of Western monarchies. Goldman's father only ever read him the action parts.

Goldman calls his editor, Hiram Haydn, at two in the morning and asks if he could abridge The Princess Bride. He pretends that he's still in California so that calling at such a time doesn't look so silly, but asks Hiram to talk to the head of the publishing house. Goldman then calls Evarts Ziegler, his movie agent in California, and asks him to postpone his involvement on The Stepford Wives so he can have time to write the abridgement. The abridgement is the book the reader is currently reading.

Goldman says that Helen encouraged him to think about why he went to such lengths to publish the abridgement of The Princess Bride. He says that he doesn't expect the book to change anyone's life like it changed his, but he says he used to truly believe in the “high adventure” and true love as represented in the book. He doesn't think that high adventure or true love exist anymore, but he hopes the reader will enjoy it.