The author had an abiding passion for the theatre and after years of struggle, writing newspaper reviews and a number of unsuccessful plays, he made his mark with a novel about an extraordinary episode in the history of France's greatest opera house. It was published in book form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte, with this first UK edition the following year.
The Phantom of the Opera was first published as a serialisation in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910. (#168558).įirst UK edition 8vo rear advertisements correctly dated June 15, usual toning to endpapers, front free endpaper clipped and chipped at fore-edge, otherwise internally very good publisher's red cloth blocked in black to covers, gilt lettering to spine slightly tarnished or missing, a little minor rubbing, but overall very good vi, 392pp. A clean, bright, nearly fine copy with no loss of the highly perishable enamel stamping. Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, p. Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, p. Of late it became the basis for the long running stage production. This classic novel has been filmed numerous times, most memorable with Lon Chaney in the lead role. The story as a whole is a central urban fantasy." - Clute and Grant (eds), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997), p. Certain scenes - the Masque which evokes Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Masque of the Red Death' (1842) and the moment when the 'phantom's' own mask is stripped off - have become horror paradigms. He creates a series of mysterious events to further the career of Christine Daae, a beautiful young singer and, when the Opera managers refuse to make her a star, inflicts savage revenge. Erik, a Middle Eastern ex-torturer and half-crazed musician, lurks in the labyrinth of passages and catacombs that make the gigantic Paris Opera House a genuine edifice. Leroux assured his readers that the story was based on fact. Although there is nothing supernatural in his text, the charged Grand-Guignol ambiance Leroux created seems to point to a non-naturalistic explanation of the story. Leroux wrote over thirty popular novels of mystery and detection, including THE MYSTERY OF THE YELLOW ROOM (1908), a pioneer locked room mystery, considered the greatest masterpiece of French detective fiction. Translation of LE FANTOME DE L'OPERA (1910). Bookbinders and Printers / Brooklyn, N. First printing with printer's imprint "Press of / Braunworth & Co. 1-357, one single-page and four double-page inserted plates with color illustrations by Andre Castaigne, original pictorial brown cloth, front and spine panels stamped in white and blind.
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