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28
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Alexandre DUMAS. 2 travel books.
See original version (French)
28
-
Alexandre DUMAS. 2 travel books.
See original version (French)
Estimate €80 - €120
Voluntary lot
Description
Alexandre DUMAS. 2 travel books.
- Spain, Morocco and Algeria. Brussels, Alph. Lebègue, 1848–1849.
12 in-16 volumes, paperback, printed covers.
A Belgian pirated edition; the original was published in Paris by Delloye-Garnier in 1846 under the title *From Paris to Cadiz*.
Invited to the wedding of the Duke of Montpensier in Madrid on 10 October 1846, Dumas, accompanied by his son, de Maquet, the painter Louis Boulanger, Adolphe Desbarolles and Eugène Giraud, embarked on a two-month journey through Spain, which he recounted in the form of letters to a woman, presumably Delphine de Girardin. *La Presse* published excerpts from it before its release in book form.
- *Le Véloce ou Tanger, Alger et Tunis*. Brussels, Alp. Lebègue 1849–1851.
11 in-16 volumes, paperback, printed covers.
Belgian pirated edition. The first edition was published in Paris by Cadot. This work follows on from *De Paris à Cadix*.
*Le Véloce* is the name of the corvette made available to Dumas by Salvandy, Minister of Public Instruction, who had asked him to cross the Mediterranean to record his impressions of Algeria, with a view to introducing the country to the French public and thereby promoting its colonisation so that industrialists and settlers might flock there. The voyage took place from late November 1846 to early January 1847.
The Véloce was a misnomer, and whilst ‘it was a fine and sturdy vessel […] which handled heavy weather marvellously, and, thanks to the experience of its crew, knew how to extricate itself from a tight spot, […] it had a boiler too small for its size and a propulsion system too weak for its bulk; in short, it was by no means the Véloce’s fault that it was a slow-moving vessel. ”
Slow-going as it was, it took Dumas first to Morocco and then, ever valiant, on to Tunisia, ending its journey in Algeria.
This mission did not go down well with everyone, and upon Dumas’s return, during a heated session in the Chamber, the government was called to account for having entrusted an ‘author of serialised novels’ with an official mission.
The account also takes the form of letters addressed to a lady. Dumas takes care to describe the beauties of the countries he discovers, collects numerous local anecdotes, reflects on the recent French conquest of Algiers, and undertakes an ‘anthropological’ study of the various local populations.
In writing a work of propaganda, Dumas forgets that he was once a champion of peoples’ freedom, and if his book is still of interest today, it is as a testament to the French perspective on their right to conquest.
Worn covers with occasional significant tears
Dumas in an unexpected role: that of a propagandist for French colonial policy.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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