Alexandre Dumas 
Adventures of Captain Pamphile, and Delaporte’s Little Presents [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. If, following one of the most enterprising of our weekly journals, a French paper were to invite celebrities to summon up their recollections and supply lists of the authors who most charmed their childhood, we may hazard the conjecture that the name of Dumas would be found in many. This may surprise those who only know Dumas as the author of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, and The Black Tulip, and who remember, more or less vaguely, as a matter of literary history, that in 1829 he headed the Romantic Movement with his drama Henri III.; and it is perfectly true that the enormous success of his novels altogether surpassed the reputation he had previously acquired as the writer of entertaining travels and delightful tales for young people. It is not, however, uncommon to find in contemporary literature affectionate tributes paid to some one or more of these tales, and the title that is recorded most frequently is Le Capitaine Pamphile.<br><br>Dumas wrote the first few chapters of Captain Pamphile as early as 1834, when they appeared in the second volume of the Journal des Enfants, the story being continued in the third and sixth and completed in the seventh volume. In 1835 the same chapters, entitled Jacques I. et Jacques II.: Fragmens Historiques, were reprinted in Dumas Souvenirs d Antony, which, containing stories so remarkable as Blanche de Beaulieu and Le Cocker de Cabriolet, were read by everyone who cared for the productions of the Romantic School. Jacques I. et Jacques II. had a great success, and in 1840, Dumas having completed the book, Dumont published it as Le Capitaine Pamphile, with the following editorial note: -<br><br>"At last we find ourselves in the fortunate position of being able to bring before the public the interesting series of adventures associated with the name of Captain Pamphile. It has required no less than the time which has elapsed since the first four chapters appeared in the Souvenirs d’ Antony (from wh