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Alexander von
HUMBOLDT im NETZ
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1 (2000)
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7. New editions and translations of the Essai
The extraordinary reception of the work is demonstrated not only by the multitude of reviews in important scientific journals in France (Moniteur universel) and Germany (Monatliche Correspondenz, Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden, Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung), but also by the fact that over a very short period of time a second French edition, as well as German, Spanish, Italian and English translations were published. The French Nouvelle edition came out between 1825-1827 in four octavo volumes. It is the only partie of the French Voyage, for which a second edition was published during Humboldt's lifetime and on which he collaborated. Corrections, references to Humboldt's other works recently published, as well as sometimes extensive footnotes show the revisions done by the editor, for whom Humboldt supposedly (according to Brand) did the proof-reading. New statistics, as well as additions from Humboldt's works which had in the meantime been published, were also apparently included.
Originally, Humboldt had intended to produce parts of all the volumes of the French, as well as the German version himself. In this he only succeeded with the first published volume on plant geography. In May of 1808 he at first also worked on the German version of the Essai and in November of that year he delivered a German manuscript for the first volume to his publisher Cotta. He had initially hired a translator for this manuscript, but was so disappointed by the results that he decided to do the German version himself. Unlike the French version, it was thoroughly revised, thereby lending this first volume the significance of an authentic work. This is not the case for the other volumes. When the parallel German-French collaboration fell apart, Humboldt also dropped his plans to edit the German version himself and offered Cotta the copyright for a translation. The latter secured Philipp Joseph von Rehfues to do the translation, an author of some works on Italy and a friend of Wilhelm von Humboldt. Cotta did not adhere to Humboldt's request that the publisher also be mentioned on the title page, so that Humboldt wouldn't be held responsible for possible mistakes. However, Cotta regularly sent Humboldt proofs.
The English edition, translated by John Black, came out in 1811 just after the French original, published by the Longman's English publishing group. The Italian edition of 1827-1829 followed the second French Edition.
The work naturally had quite a following in Spanish-speaking regions and partial translations into Spanish were soon realized. The complete Spanish edition - today still the standard work - was done by V. Gonzalez Arnao in Paris 1822, where a great amount of Spanish books were published at that time. It was the specialized publishing house Rosa, a business associate of Jules Renouard, the publisher of the French original, which undertook the project. Humboldt knew the translator Gonzalez Arnao who was living in Paris at the time. Humboldt’s letters to Renouard (Berlin State Library, still unpublished) reveal the intense cooperation with the publisher. Simultaneously, Spanish editions of the Essai sur l'ile de Cuba (Renouard 1827), the Viaje a las regiones equinocciales del nueve continente (Rosa 1826) and the second edition of the Mexico-Essai (Rosa 1827) were being worked on. Fervent requests for indulgence in a letter to Renouard demonstrate how much Humboldt was occupied by proof-reading, the writing of manuscripts etc. at that time: "I have been getting up at 5 o’clock and going to sleep at 2 o’clock for a month now. I have 9 proofs for Mr. Smith [publisher of the French Relation historique] full of numbers. I am doing as much as I can, and if I was a little angry, I wish for myself a portion of the indulgence that I demand be received by the black people who appear in the work you are translating right now."(28)
Later editors corrected and commented on the text, but generally adhered to Gonzalez Arnao’s version. The modern edition of Ortega y Medina of 1966, due to it's annotations and additions, is still indispensable beyond the Spanish speaking realm for scientific research concerned with Humboldt's Mexico work.
Notes:
(28) "Je me lève depuis un mois à 5 heures et je me couche à 2h. J’ai pour Mr. Smith 9 feuilles d’épreuves hérissées de chiffres [...]. Je fais ce que mes forces peuvent supporter et si j’étais un peu malin je demanderais pour mois une partie de cette indulgence que je réclame pour les noirs dans l’ouvrage que vous allez traduire." Letter from A. v. Humboldt to J. Renouard, [Mart? 1827], Staatsbibliothek Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Hs.-Abt., Slg. Darmstaedter, Renouard-Briefe 57.