From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: Dumas translated this from Garibaldi's own MS. It makes spirited reading, and the general was fortunate in having the help of so capable a pen. Dumas' work is of special importance owing to the fact that when Garibaldi published the same material himself, somewhat later, from a sense of modesty he suppressed or modified some incidents ; thus this earlier treatment possesses its own decided worth. The period of the original French work is from 1807 to 1849, but the Belgian text carries events on to Nov., 1860. the additions being Dumas'.
It appeared serially in "Le Siècle," and Dumas speaks of issuing it also in his own Italian paper "L'Indépendant."
Original edition: Paris, Lévy, 2 vols., 12rno., 1860.
Brussels: Méline, Cans et Cie.. 3 vols., 12mo., 1861. This is stated to be the only complete edition (see above). Moreover, it includes a discourse by Victor Hugo and an introduction by George Sand.
There was also printed (in French) at Naumbourg (Germany), by G. Paetz, an edition in 5 vols., 1860-61, which included all the matter of the Belgian issue. Mr. Garnett, probably quite correctly, is inclined, to regard this as the earlier.
The work now forms two volumes in the standard Calmann-Lévy edition, while in their "Musée Littéraire" it may be had in either one volume or two.
In Le Vasseur's "Alexandre Dumas Illustré" it is found in Vol. XXIV.
References :—
Dumas: "Causeries,"—"Une Visite à Garibaldi."
Dumas: "Montevideo, ou une Nouvelle Troie."
Garibaldi: "Mémorie autobiografiche," 1887. (English translation by Werner and Mme. Mario. London, Smith, 3 vols., 1889.)
Trevelyan: "Garibaldi's Defence of the Roman Republic," "Garibaldi and the Thousand," and "Garibaldi and the Making of Italy."
Dumas: "Comment je mis Garibaldi" (see introductory matter to the translation by Mr. Garnett, mentioned below.)
English Translations :—
"Garibaldi, an Autobiography," translated by W. Robson, portrait, London, Routledge, 1860.
"The Memoirs of Garibaldi;" London, Benn, 1931. This is a much finer translation, by Mr. R. S. Garnett ; it contains all the matter of the Brussels edition, the articles by Victor Hugo and George Sand, the four "Causeries," "Comment je mis Garibaldi," and three of Dumas' articles written for his paper "L'Indépendant."
