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Sunday NY Post book review: Alexandre Dumas never really knew his father who died when he was 4, but he based his 2 famous books on his father's life, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Alex the elder was born to a French aristocrat and his black slave Marie Dumas. Elder was sold into slavery, but was repurchased by his father and was a member of the family and made a Count. Tall and strong, he joined the army as a young man, he rose from corporal to army commanding general in a few years due to his military exploits. One story is that he fought and won 3 duels in one day, the basis for D'Artagnan challenging the Three Musketeers each to a duel on the same day. He met his wife guarding a family during the Great Fear of 1789. His army rival was General Bonaparte. Napoleon, the calculating political animal won the internal public affairs fight. On one occasion, elder Dumas wrote a letter to Napoleon telling him that Napoleon's observer lied about Dumas' activites during battle but he wouldn't comment on the observer since he was sure the observer soiled himself. By happenstance, he ended up in Italian prison, the basis for The Count of Monte Cristo. Prison was harsh including poisonings such that when he was released after 2 years, he was blind, partially deaf and had a limp. One year later A. Dumas the younger was born.