In April, the Belfast publishers Simms and McIntyre issued a translation of the first part only, under the title The Chateau d'If: A Romance, in their affordable Parlour Novelist series, but the second and third volumes of their translation did not appear until September and October, respectively. It was published in book form in May 1846, after serialization in ten weekly parts from March 1846. This London edition has priority as the first edition in English. Dumas's captivating plot immediately caught the attention of those in England who could read French, and the absence of copyright meant that publishers rushed to capitalize on the author's popularity, with several English translations produced almost simultaneously. The story was originally published as a feuilleton in Le Journal des Débats from 28 August 1844 to 15 January 1846. This publication was instrumental in establishing Dumas's reputation as Victorian England's favourite French novelist, and was also the first English edition to include illustrations. As it concludes, Dumas leaves his reader with a final thought: "all human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope.'".įirst complete edition in English in book form of the author's famous adventure novel. Through its web of literary references, most notably to Plato's Allegory of the Cave and Dante's Divine Comedy, the novel participates in the tradition of the epic hero and it traces Edmund Dantes' progress from his fall and path through the hell of Chateau d'If, as he makes his way through revenge and temptation to enter a new life marked by forgiveness and generosity. Yet The Count of Monte Cristo offers more than a sprawling tale of revenge. The glamorous figure of Dantes, who triumphs over injustice and with his limitless wealth and power can control Destiny, punish his enemies and reward his friends, is an ideal which stirs all men's repressed longings for and fantasies of personal greatness" (Sudley). It is a story for all time, a 19th-century version of 'The Arabian Nights,' a gorgeous piece of escapism from the drudgery of daily life. "First to sheer narrative power - Dumas was a master of narrative - and secondly to the theme. Along with The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo cemented Dumas' reputation as France's premier adventure writer and a forefather of popular fiction. This remained the standard English text until the Buss translation was released in 1996. While each edition has points to recommend it, we prefer this translation, as well as the 20 engraved plates found in this edition. It wasn't until September and October, 1846 that the final 2 volumes of the Simms and McIntyre edition were released. This translation was released the following month in May. A part of the novel was published in English by Belfast publisher Simms and McIntyre under the title "The Chateau d'If" in April of 1846. The publication history of this novel in English is a bit complex. Otherwise an attractive copy of this literary high-spot, housed in a custom green quarter-leather clamshell case. Leather joints and spine ends repaired, internal contents generally clean with a slight scuff to final leaf of volume one (affecting only part of printer's imprint). 20th century brown three-quarter morocco over brown cloth boards, brown cloth end papers, top edges gilt. Octavo (pages measure 215 x 137 mm): iv, 464 iv, 464 complete with all 20 illustrations after M. Firm and sturdy.įirst complete English language edition. Boards with some edgewear, small puncture to head of spines near rear joints. Light foxing to plates minor intermittent spotting to leaves. Valentin: frontispiece + 10 plates in vol. Early half tan calf, marbled paper boards, red and green goatskin spine labels, raised bands, spine elaborately stamped in gilt. Once the most popular book in Europe (Saintsbury), THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO has kept its astonishing hold on the public imagination by being, as Umberto Eco maintained, not art, but a myth: repetitious, redundant, wordy even by the standards of 19th-century serials, and with it "one of the most exciting novels ever written." The COUNT's mythic qualities have inspired a steady stream of dramatic adaptations and an endless number of innovative retellings, wildly diverse in setting but always faithful to the core theme of long-awaited, elaborately plotted, much-deserved, and unsparingly delivered - REVENGE. This anonymous translation of Dumas's adventure, first published in installments, overshadowed its several contemporary competitors to become the standard English version of the text. Handsome copy of the first complete English-language edition in book form - and still the mostly widely read English translation - of the classic tale of vengeance delayed, but never denied.
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