In this box you will find the first results of myresearch into the lives of the three Baudelaire childrendivided into three volumes entitled THE BAD BEGINNING.THE REPTILE ROOM, and THE WIDE WINDOW. These booksare among the most miserable in the world, and if you donot have the stomach for such unpleasantries as a repulsivevillain, a deadly serpent, cold cucumber soup, a terrible fire,and a doll named Pretty Penny, I would advise you to readthree happy books instead.

I hate to intrude on you with a pleading letter, but youare my brightest and only hope. It has become necessaryto get rid of this box so that the crucial evidence con-tained within will not fall into the greedy and somewhathairy hands of my enemies.

In this box you will find the first results of myresearch into the lives of the three Baudelaire childrendivided into three volumes entitled THE BAD BEGINNING.THE REPTILE ROOM, and THE WIDE WINDOW. These booksare among the most miserable in the world, and if you donot have the stomach for such unpleasantries as a repulsivevillain, a deadly serpent, cold cucumber soup, a terrible fire,and a doll named Pretty Penny, I would advise you to readthree happy books instead. But I beg of you-whether or notyou decide to spend your time reading these awful stories,weeping and tearing your hair out with woe, keep them in avery, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, verysafe place. I shudder to think what would happen if myenemies managed to snatch them away before I was ableto come and retrieve them.

Please note that when I do come and reclaim thesethree books, I will probably be in disguise.

1 THE BAD BEGINNING

2 THE REPTILE ROOM

3 THE WIDE WINDOW