From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: This, the first of Dumas' volumes of travel, was originally entitled simply "Impressions de Voyage." Later, when followed by a number of others of similar nature, it was distinguished by the addition of "En Suisse."
In the original edition there were five volumes, of which the first two appeared in 1833-34 ; Paris, Guyot (so Quérard) ; 1833, Office of the "Revue des Deux Mondes," 8vo., printed by Fournier (says Parran) The latter here follows Asselineau. who, moreover, states that the first volume has an etched frontispiece by Célestin Nanteuil, which was very badly reproduced in the second. It is thus described : "The Cathedral of Milan, surrounded by views of Switzerland and fishing and hunting subjects (the Bear Steak) ; above, a monk of St. Bernard and a traveller, moonlight ; below, William Tell swimming the lake, framed with allegorical figures of the Rhone and Saone ; in one corner, to the right, a parrot (?)."
The third, fourth and fifth volumes of the original edition appeared in 1837, Paris, Dumont.
A second edition of the first two volumes, all then issued, appeared, Paris, Dumont, 8vo.
A third edition, "revised, corrected and augmented with several new impressions," appeared : Paris, Charpentier, 1835, 2 vols., pp. 476 and table, 352 and table. These are still only the first two volumes of the eventual five. To judge by Quérard, the additions were two final chapters: "Obergestelen" and "Le Pont du Diable."
A fourth edition, now including the whole five original volumes; Paris. Dumont, 1839, 5 vols., 8vo.
Another edition, "revised and corrected," in two series (i.e., two volumes, but without any indication that they were parts of a whole, at least so far as the title-page is concerned), Paris, Ch. Gosselin, 18mo. English format, 1840 and 1842. (A copy in the Reed Dumas Collection bears the same date, 1842, on both volumes.)
These were followed by numerous other editions.
It now forms three volumes in the standard edition of the works issued by Calmann-Lévy; three in the same firm's 4to. illustrated series, and one in their "Musée Littéraire Contemporain."
In Le Vasseur's "Alexandre Dumas Illustré" it forms part of Vol. XXI.
During 1833 and 1834 a number of the chapters, which were later to form part of these "Impressions de Voyage," appeared in the "Revue des Deux Mondes"; while, later, a number of those from Vols. III. and IV. appeared in the "Figaro," to be later issued in a large 8vo. volume brought out by this journal.
References :—
Dumas: "Mes Mémoires," Chapters CCXLVI., CCLII. and CCLXV. (only in the Brussels edition). Quérard: "Supercheries Littéraires Dévoilées," Vol. 1., Columns 1118-1120.
Asselineau: "Bibliographie Romantique," 2nd edition, page 17. Parran: "Bibliographie d'A. Dumas," page 41.
"Quarterly Review," No. CLXXXIX., pp. 76 and following.
English Translations, etc. :—
"Glacier Land" (trans. by Mrs. W. R. Wilde) ; London, Simms and MacIntyre, 1848, pp. 272.
Re-issued as No. 7 of "The Bookcase," 1852.
"Jacques Balmat; or, the First Ascent of Mont Blanc, a True Story" (trans. by T. L. Oxley) ; London, Kirby and Endean, 1881, pp. 38.
