Garat - Mémoires sur la Révolution - 1794

TUMULT, TRIBUNE AND AX, THE MEMOIRS OF GARAT AT THE HEART OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Rare revolutionary edition of the memoirs of Dominique Joseph Garat, one of the most controversial and significant political figures of the French Revolution. Minister of Justice during the most dramatic years of the Terror and later a member of the Council of Ancients, Garat was a direct witness to the fall of the monarchy, the execution of Louis XVI, and the profound institutional transformations that marked the birth of modern France. This work constitutes a personal and political defense of his conduct, but above all a first-hand testimony of the events that upheaved Europe at the end of the 18th century. Printed in the Year III of the Republic (1794-1795), it preserves the political and ideological climate of the revolutionary period intact.
MARKET VALUE
Original editions of Mémoires sur la Révolution by Garat are less common on the market than memoirs by contemporaries such as Barras, Bertrand de Molleville, or Mallet du Pan. Complete copies in contemporary bindings are generally found in a price range between 200 and 400 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full brown morocco binding with a green shield on the back bearing the title "Mémoires de Garat" in gold. Inside boards lined with marbled paper. Wear to the back with leather loss and small abrasions to the compartments; front board detached. Pages with the usual foxing and browning, some small tears. In old books with a long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 16; 224; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Mémoires sur la Révolution, ou Exposé de ma conduite dans les affaires et dans les fonctions publiques.
Paris, J. J. Smith et Cie, L'An III de la République [1794-1795].
Garat, Dominique Joseph.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Dominique Joseph Garat (1749-1833) occupied a unique position in the history of the French Revolution. Journalist, man of letters, and moderate politician, he was called to hold top-tier offices during the stormiest phase of the revolutionary process. As Minister of Justice, he had the task of informing Louis XVI of the death sentence pronounced by the National Convention, an episode that made him a historically emblematic figure. These memoirs are not merely an autobiographical account but a genuine political apology, in which Garat attempts to justify his choices before history and public opinion. The text offers a privileged perspective on the clashes between Girondins and Montagnards, on the internal tensions within the Convention, and on the difficult balance between revolutionary ideals and political violence. Published during the Thermidorian Republic, the volume testifies to the passage from the Terror phase to a season of reflection and critical revision of recent events.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Dominique Joseph Garat was born in Ustaritz in the French Basque Country in 1749 and died in Paris in 1833. A man of letters, philosopher, and politician, he actively participated in the French Revolution. A deputy to the Estates-General of 1789, he later became Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior. He was a member of the Institut de France and, under Napoleon, a senator of the Empire. He remains best known for the role he played in the revolutionary years and for his direct testimonies on the events that marked the end of the Ancien Régime.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work appeared in the Year III of the Republic, in a publishing context characterized by strong demand for political testimonies and personal memoirs. Publications by protagonists of the Revolution represented tools of political self-defense and attempts to influence the historical narrative of the events. The original editions from Year III are today significantly more sought after than the nineteenth-century reprints.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Barbier, Dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes, IV, col. 19-20.
Martin & Walter, Catalogue de l'Histoire de la Révolution Française, vol. II.
Tourneux, Bibliographie de l'Histoire de Paris pendant la Révolution Française, passim.
Quérard, La France Littéraire, III, pp. 250-252.
Catalogue général de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, s.v. Garat.
WorldCat, editions of Year III held in European and North American institutional libraries.
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Département Philosophie, Histoire et Sciences de l'Homme.
ICCU/OPAC SBN, copies preserved in Italian libraries.