On this date in 1802, the French writer Alexandre Dumas was born. He is most famous for writing the adventures Les Trois Mousquetaires (aka The Three Musketeers, 1844), Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (aka The Count of Monte Cristo; 1844-1845), and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne ou Dix ans plus tard (aka The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, 1847-1850; it is notable for featuring L’Homme au Masque de Fer aka The Man in the Iron Mask). Since his death in 1870, his works have taken on a life of their own. The Three Musketeers has been adapted or re-imagined many times since its initial publication, including several Tom & Jerry cartoons, a set of films in the 1970s directed by Richard Lester, and even a candy bar. The Man in the Iron Mask was adapted into a popular movie in 1998 starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

So if you are in the mood for some swashbucklin’, we have several of his works in their original French here in the Literature and Languages Library. The UIUC Library has over one thousand items attributed to Dumas. His works can also be found (untranslated) online at Project Gutenberg.