Joseph Balsamo

Joseph Balsamo is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, inspired by the life and personality of Giuseppe Balsamo, commonly referred to as Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. It is the first of eight books in Dumas' Marie Antoinette series, and is followed by Andrée de Taverney, The Queen's Necklace, Ange Pitou, The Hero of the People, The Royal Life Guard, The Countess de Charny, and Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge. It was written in collaboration with Auguste Maquet and appeared in serial form in La Presse between 1846 and 1849.