Product Description
Gaston Leroux's classic horror tale of the Paris Opera house brings readers the story of the Phantom of the Opera.When the Christine Daae began at the Opera house, she had little talent.When the Phantom fell in love with her, he began to give her singing lessons that turned her into a star.The lessons had a price, however.Learn what the price was in the Calico Illustrated Classics adaptation of Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. ... Read more

Product Description
These three Classic French novels include The Mystery of the Yellow Room, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Secret of the Night. According to Wikipedia, "Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (May 6, 1868 [1] – April 15, 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, such as the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney; and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Leroux's contribution to French detective fiction is considered a parallel to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's in the United Kingdom and Edgar Allan Poe's in the United States."
... Read more

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The Phantom of the Opera, or Fantome de l'Opera, by Gaston Leroux with active table of contents for easy navigation. ... Read more

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This is novel, written by the same person who created the "Phantom of the Opera" is reportedly on of the best 'locked-room' mysteries written during the 1900's, and inspired Agatha Christie to write her first book.The sleuth is a young journalist named Joseph Rouletabille, who uses reasoning and logic to solve the crime of the scientist's daughter who is the victim of an attempted murder that takes place in a room with bars on the windows, a double-locked door, making it impossible for the perpetrator to have committed the crime and escaped.In a 1935 novel, John Dickson Carr, the master of locked-room mysteries, declared the Yellow Room Mystery to be the 'best detective tale ever written.' it was voted the third best locked room mystery of all time.Another one that may come close to this book is one of the Peter Sharp Legal Mysteries, "The Magician's Legacy" by Gene Grossman - also available from Amazon.com as item number 3332825. ... Read more

Product Description
The legendary rumours of an 'opera ghost' take on a terrifying reality when the beautiful young singer Christine Daae suddenly disappears after her triumphant performance. An ever increasing pattern of fear and violence pervades the dim backstage areas of the Opera House, as the phantom threatens to strike once more. This title is published to coincide with the centenary of the first publication, in a completely new translation by Mireille Ribiere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

No one sees the angel
The mask, the music, the dark mysteries, and the tortured, deformed genius who just wants love. "The Phantom of the Opera" is so well known that its story needs no explanation.

But Gaston Leroux's novel is still a spellbinding experience, full of atmospheric horror, a sense of gothic mystery, and lushly evocative language. But its crown jewel is Erik: a magnificently tortured anti-hero who inspires more horror, pity and sympathy than the rather flat hero and heroine.

The Paris opera house is said to be haunted by a ghost with a "death's head," who demands a small salary and a reserved box. Despite the sightings and fears of ballerinas and stagehands, the new managers are determined to stamp out this ridiculous story -- despite threatening letters and increasing accidents that happen around them.

Meanwhile, budding diva Christine Daae is taking Paris by storm, although nobody quite knows who taught her how to sing. And when her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny pays her a visit, he hears a passionate exchange between her and a man -- but there's no man there. She credits her new vocal abilities to the Angel of Music, but of course, that self-same Angel is the opera ghost.

As the Phantom becomes even more attached to Christine, Raoul soon finds that the ghost is actually a half-mad, horribly deformed musical genius named Erik -- and that after Christine saw his true face, he made her become engaged to him. The young lovers plan to run away together, but the "Angel of Music" isn't about to allow his beloved Christine to leave him...

Apparently there actually were some odd events -- including rumours of an opera ghost -- happening when Gaston Leroux began writing "The Phantom of the Opera." And it's a credit to his imgination that he was able to spin a some odd facts into a harrowing, heartbreaking love triangle that's based on music, obsession, adoration, and a bit of pity. And, of course, a frighteningly sympathetic "villain."

Admittedly the style is very "penny dreadful": melodramatic and overloaded on prose. But Leroux's talent shines through -- he drapes the book in a haunted atmosphere, full of snowy graveyards, dark opera backstages and underground labyrinths, all with Erik's presence hovering over it. The plot is mostly a slow, satiny procession toward the inevitable blowup, but Leroux does tinge it with scenes of romantic drama, a feeling of dread, one shocking action scene, and even some quirky humour at times.

And Leroux's writing is simply astounding as he describes the corpselike appearance of Erik ("... tore his terrible dead flesh with my nails") and his "death's" head appearance at the party. But he also excels at the more poignant moments -- Erik's final, rambling monologue to Christine after she kisses him is heartbreakingly clumsy and saddening.

Though Christine and Raoul are the hero and heroine of the book, they're actually kind of flat. Erik is the real star -- an arrogant genius who is also pitifully lonely. And insane. Despite his crazed behavior -- which results in at least two deaths -- it's hard not to feel sympathy for someone cursed with such a ghastly appearance, and so starved for human contact that a single kiss changes his life ("... he tried to catch my eye, like a dog sitting by its master").

Despite being a bit overblown in the style of its time, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a triumph of atmosphere, horror, and one of the most memorably sympathetic "villains" that you can find on the shelves. Magnificent.

100 years of Gaston Leroux's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1QE67F84M2LV8 This new translation of Gaston Leroux's novel is long overdue, as the original and widespread translation from 1911 was full of translation errors, bizarre additions and unforgivable omissions.It coincides with the centenary of the original publication of the work.

On 23rd September 1909, the first serialized installment Gaston Leroux's 'Le Fantôme de l'Opéra' appeared in the French daily morning newspaper 'Le Gaulois'. The novel, published by Pierre Lafitte in book form in February 1910, caught the world's imagination after its story achieved international fame in 1925 with the release of its first motion picture adaptation starring Lon Chaney and produced by Universal.

Subsequently, over the course of the twentieth century and beyond, the Phantom of the Opera has been adapted countless times for stage, screen and more, from a little-known comic book by Innovation to the infamous 1986 musical by Lloyd Webber and Hart, now officially the most successful entertainment venture of all time.

Exactly one century later, this timeless Faustian tale continues to permeate both the Occidental and Oriental consciousness. To celebrate this achievement, PhantomsLair.com has launched a special Phantom Twitter stream to spread the word of the centenary and the latest news and developments concerning the Opera Ghost in all his incarnations. Eventually it will be used to release exciting new research undertaken into the world of 'Le Fantôme' in areas never previously explored. The Leroux estate is aware of the feed, so by following you would not only benefit from a wealth of 'Phantom' information, but would also be demonstrating to Leroux's descendants just how how beloved this timeless tale remains. The Phantom of the Opera has, in effect, become firmly established as an enduring modern myth with timeless classical roots.

Please follow by going to http://twitter.com/fantomedelopera and logging in/signing up and clicking Follow. Followers will be rewarded by ongoing exclusive breaking news and updates live as they happen. Alternatively, visit http://www.phantomslair.com to find out more information. ... Read more

Product Description
The Essential Phantom of the Opera is the most comprehensive edition ever produced of the classic 1911 novel of romance, mystery, and psychological suspense, fully annotated with thousands of fascinating facts and legends. Here is the complete, authoritative edition of literature's most bizarre tale of love, obsession, and aberration-a story that has held an irresistible fascination for audiences and readers for nearly a century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Essential !
Very good book, as the title says, it is essential to know more details about this famous French novel. Don't miss it.

Loved it
This is a great book on POTO. Has lots of "extra" things written right in to help make the story even more understandable and enjoyable.

The Essential Phantom of The Opera
Out of Stock - Never received this item.

An Essential for any Phan...
This is the third translation of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera that I have purchased, and I don't regret it.Most of us are familiar with the "official" translation - the one that is the tie-in for the musical (and countless other editions).Leonard Wolf gives us a newer and - as he feels - more faithful interpretation of the French text.(Sidenote: In the tie-in translation, the Phantom never refers to himself as the Phantom: only as the Opera Ghost, or O.G.In this version, he is always the more musical Phantom of the Opera.)

If you have not read Phantom yet, you may be a bit distracted by the voluminous footnotes.For the familiar reader however, the footnotes are the main reason to buy this edition.Wolf provides valuable insight into many areas of the text.He points out inconsistencies: Raoul goes from being 21 to 20.He provides commentary on the mythological allusions in the text.

Most valuable, he provides artistic commentary on the book.He shows how Phantom fits into Gothic conventions: the damsel-in-distress being menaced by a sexually threatening outsider, only to be rescued by a non-sexual aristocrat.But it is not quite that simple; Wolf shows that there are only two protagonists in the piece: Christine and Erik.He rightly shows Raoul for the foolish little sap that he is.He thinks that Leroux intended it to be that way, and that Christine has a much stronger bond with Erik than she does Raoul.

On the whole, I wish Wolf had written more.How about interpretive essays on the various adaptations, including the Lloyd Weber musical?He does include a lengthy introduction about the novel and Gaston Leroux himself.This volume is a must-have for any Phantom-enthusiast.

Wonderful resource
For fans of Phantom of the Opera the musical/movie, or just fans of literature of this time, I think this is a wonderful choice.This copy includes a lot of historical information that someone who isn't from Paris of the time just wouldn't catch otherwise, as well as a lot of critical analysis from an expert.

So, if you want to understand this book much more, this is a great edition.

EDIT: I've specifically learned that this is also a completely different translation than that which is available in public domain, and it does seem to include some nuances which are NOT in the other versions. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive analytical study of the Phantom of the Opera proposes answers to the question, “why do we keep needing this story told and retold in the Western world?” by revealing the history of deep cultural tensions that underlie the novel and each of its major adaptations. Using extensive historical and textual evidence and drawing on perspectives from several theories of cultural studies, this book argues that we need this tale told and reconfigured because it provides us ways to both confront and disguise how we have fashioned our senses of identity in the Western middle class. The Phantom of the Opera —in varying ways over time—turns out, like the “Gothic” tradition it extends, to be deeply connected to Western self-fashioning in the face of conflicted attitudes about class, gender, race, religious beliefs, Fruedian psychology, economic and international tensions, and especially the shifting and permeable boundaries between “high” and “low” culture. This book should interest all students of the history of Western culture, Gothic fiction, opera, musical theater, and film.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A very extensive look at the Phantom
This is the most extensive, in-depth analysis you can find on the Phantom.It's not just a psychoanalytic reading though, and Dr. Hogle looks at all manifestations of the phantom-but especially the book which started it all.He provides great insights into the underlying meanings of the text and why we are ultimately intrigued by the man who becomes a phantom.He has an interesting theory on how the carnivalesque infects the bourgeois opera, the underlying class struggle within the novel, and the identity formation of various characters. With all the pop culture junk out there, it is very refreshing to have a book I can actually use for research.Very much for those who utilize literary theory, gothic theory, psychoanalytic readings of literature.However, for those die-hard "phans" of the musical, this is a difficult book.If you can get past the academic writing, you'll find some of the most interesting things about the Phantom you didn't know.As far as his analysis of other adaptations of the phantom, including the broadway play, I did not find those as important.

OK...for researchers
This book is very dry and full of "Freudian" suggestions...but this only stands to reason as the original novel (by Gaston Leroux published in 1911) was written during the height of the Freudian belief system....
I would not discredit this work in any way, other than to say it's not a "leisure read" or a bit of foolish, fluffy "PhanFiction" by any means.Those who wish to try it, do so...but be warned...it's more of a university level text that could very easily be used as an assigned text for psychology majors.It's definitely NOT for the silly "Phantom Phan" sect (and this text is often rejected by them).
Whether you buy into Freud and his ideas or not, remember than Leroux was a child of that era and his original novel often depicts many Freudian undertones.

Not easily accessible
Hogle's book is written using dense professorial obsurantism. Readers will need an outstanding education and exceptional literary sensitivity to understand what the good professor is trying to exposit.One professional reviewer stated that the author's approach to his subject was "strenuous and original".I couldn't agree more."Strenuous" completely describes not only this work but also the process of deciphering what it is that Hogle has to say.While it is an in depth and intensely researched look at the implications of this story for western society throughout the past century, it trades psychological insight into the cultural phenomenon for a more contextual social analysis.The personal psychological impact of the story for readers is something he seems to approach only distantly.Unfortunate, because this would give greater insight into the larger social ramifications.Also, Hogle can be repetitive with themes during the course of his analysis of the subject.I have praise only for his commentary on the original Leroux novel, which is insightful and meaningful.His commentary on the remainder of re-adaptations of the original novel ranges from good to weak.This is nowhere more apparent than in his discussion of what he calls, "the most important... renovelization of the original book" referring to the novel by Susan Kay.Here he attempts to prove, in less than four pages, a thesis that is both absurd and ill supported, despite the importance he himself has attributed to the work.Overall, his book is something that those persons enraptured with the story should avoid and that literary scholars should approach with appropriate discernment. ... Read more

Product Description
Horror Classics compiles The Phantom of the Opera, and 5 short stories from Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and J.S. LeFanu: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Leather Funnel, An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House, and The White Cat of Drumgunniol. These horrific stories, written by the original masters of gothic horror, continue to chill today's audiences. With 8 cassettes, this audio box set allows the time-pressed reader to enjoy these classics at their own convenience - on the road, or relaxing at home.

The Phantom of the Opera (Unabridged)
A gothic horror masterpiece, The Phantom of the Opera continues to chill audiences since it was first penned by Gaston Leroux in 1911. Experience the Parisian world and culture of the 1800's, and discover the unrequited love of the Phantom, who roams behind the scenes of the Paris Opera House. By: Gaston Leroux
Length: 8 hours, 25 minutes

The White Cat of Drumgunniol (Unabridged)
Revenge is rampant and can sometimes spiel out of control, especially when it originates from a scorned woman who devilishly plots a revenge on her betrayer and his family. Discover the terror that unravels.By: J.S. LeFanu
Length:28 minutes, 23 seconds

The Leather Funnel (Unabridged)From the author of the Sherlock Holmes detective chronicles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle submerges you into a tale of horror. This short story will shock and remind you that all objects have a history, but some histories are more horrific than we expect them to be...By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Length: 27 minutes, 45 seconds

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (Unabridged)
From the master of gothic horror short stories and poetry, Edgar Allan Poe weaves one of the first stories written in the style of a classic detective story with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."By: Edgar Allan Poe
Length: 1 hour, 15 minutes

An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House (Unabridged)
J.S. LeFanu was a Victorian writer who perfected the art of the modern horror short story form, along with Edgar Allan Poe. In this short story, listen to this "true" account of a haunted house, and prepare for the worse.By: J.S. LeFanu
Length: 33 minutes, 54 seconds ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comic Book or Audio Book?AMAZON gives no clue!
Another bad/confusing Amazon listing.

Audio Book with "eight pages"?

Plus... listing says "8 cassettes"... but add up the VAST number of total "hours" in the official Amazon product description!Impossible!

This listing should be pulled until Amazon can get their details straight.

:o/ ... Read more

Product Description
Classic French detective novel, first published in 1907. According to Wikipedia, "Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (May 6, 1868 [1] – April 15, 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, such as the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney; and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Leroux's contribution to French detective fiction is considered a parallel to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's in the United Kingdom and Edgar Allan Poe's in the United States." ... Read more

Product Description
French author Gaston Leroux classic crime novel with active table of contents.

The crime, in this novel, takes place at the Chateau du Glandier, located in the forest, near the road leading to Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois and Montlhéry.

The daughter of a famous scientist is found the victim of attempted murder. The strange thing is the room is locked from the inside and there are no other ways in. A police detective is involved but the young journalist Joseph Rouletabille is more concerned with unraveling the mystery by use of reasoning and logic. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Okay
It's a good book, but don't expect it to last. This gets an extra star for the Andre Castaigne illustration on the cover.

No one sees the Angel
The mask, the music, the dark mysteries, and the tortured, deformed genius who just wants love. "The Phantom of the Opera" is so well known that its story needs no explanation.

But Gaston Leroux's novel is still a spellbinding experience, full of atmospheric horror, a sense of gothic mystery, and lushly evocative language. But its crown jewel is Erik: a magnificently tortured anti-hero who inspires more horror, pity and sympathy than the rather flat hero and heroine.

The Paris opera house is said to be haunted by a ghost with a "death's head," who demands a small salary and a reserved box. Despite the sightings and fears of ballerinas and stagehands, the new managers are determined to stamp out this ridiculous story -- despite threatening letters and increasing accidents that happen around them.

Meanwhile, budding diva Christine Daae is taking Paris by storm, although nobody quite knows who taught her how to sing. And when her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny pays her a visit, he hears a passionate exchange between her and a man -- but there's no man there. She credits her new vocal abilities to the Angel of Music, but of course, that self-same Angel is the opera ghost.

As the Phantom becomes even more attached to Christine, Raoul soon finds that the ghost is actually a half-mad, horribly deformed musical genius named Erik -- and that after Christine saw his true face, he made her become engaged to him. The young lovers plan to run away together, but the "Angel of Music" isn't about to allow his beloved Christine to leave him...

Apparently there actually were some odd events -- including rumours of an opera ghost -- happening when Gaston Leroux began writing "The Phantom of the Opera." And it's a credit to his imgination that he was able to spin a some odd facts into a harrowing, heartbreaking love triangle that's based on music, obsession, adoration, and a bit of pity. And, of course, a frighteningly sympathetic "villain."

Admittedly the style is very "penny dreadful": melodramatic and overloaded on prose. But Leroux's talent shines through -- he drapes the book in a haunted atmosphere, full of snowy graveyards, dark opera backstages and underground labyrinths, all with Erik's presence hovering over it. The plot is mostly a slow, satiny procession toward the inevitable blowup, but Leroux does tinge it with scenes of romantic drama, a feeling of dread, one shocking action scene, and even some quirky humour at times.

And Leroux's writing is simply astounding as he describes the corpselike appearance of Erik ("... tore his terrible dead flesh with my nails") and his "death's" head appearance at the party. But he also excels at the more poignant moments -- Erik's final, rambling monologue to Christine after she kisses him is heartbreakingly clumsy and saddening.

Though Christine and Raoul are the hero and heroine of the book, they're actually kind of flat. Erik is the real star -- an arrogant genius who is also pitifully lonely. And insane. Despite his crazed behavior -- which results in at least two deaths -- it's hard not to feel sympathy for someone cursed with such a ghastly appearance, and so starved for human contact that a single kiss changes his life ("... he tried to catch my eye, like a dog sitting by its master").

Despite being a bit overblown in the style of its time, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a triumph of atmosphere, horror, and one of the most memorably sympathetic "villains" that you can find on the shelves. Magnificent. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Gaston Leroux, Georges Simenon, Sébastien Japrisot, Paul Féval, Père, Frédéric Dard, Maurice Leblanc, Fred Vargas, Charles Exbrayat, Jean-François Parot, Paul Halter, Gustave le Rouge, Guy Des Cars, Boileau-Narcejac, Émile Gaboriau, Marcel Allain, Pierre Alexis Ponson Du Terrail, Pierre Souvestre, Léo Malet, Christine Adamo, Jean-Claude Izzo, André Héléna, Jean-Patrick Manchette, Arnould Galopin, Roger Borniche, Didier Daeninckx, Thierry Jonquet, Georges Lagrange, Franz-Olivier Giesbert. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 104. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Medieval16th century 17th century18th century 19th century20th century Contemporary Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (French pronunciation: ; February 13, 1903 September 4, 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret. Georges Simenon was born at 26 rue Léopold (now number 24) in Liège, to Désiré Simenon and his wife Henriette. Désiré Simenon worked in an accounting office at an insurance company and had married Henriette in April 1902. Although Georges Simenon was born on February 13, 1903 superstition resulted in his birth being registered as having been on the 12th. This story of his birth is recounted at the beginning of his novel Pedigree. The Simenon family traces its origins back to the Limburg region, his mother's family being from Dutch Limburg. One of her more notorious ancestors was Gabriel Brühl, a criminal who preyed on Limbourg from the 1720s until he was hanged, in 1743. Later, Simenon would use Brühl as one of his many pen names. In April 1905, two years after Georges Simenon's birth, the family moved to 3 rue Pasteur (now 25 rue Georges Simenon) in the city's Outremeuse n...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=182032 ... Read more

Product Description
Includes 3 classics by Gaston Leroux. Indexed for easy navigation. Works of Gaston Leroux
Includes:
THE MYSTERY OF THE YELLOW ROOM
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
THE SECRET OF THE NIGHT ... Read more

Product Description
Titles:

Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
North and South
The Phantom of the Opera
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Far from the Madding Crowd
... Read more

Product Description
Some of the best classics of Gothic fiction (being a mixture of horror and romance) are included in this collection (with an active table of contents):

The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole,
Vathek, William Beckford,
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe,
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Nightmare Abbey, by Thomas Love Peacock,
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James,
The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Simply Phantastic!
This was one book I really enjoyed reading. The format was very convenient; I could carry this classic around in my pocket; and the reading is not overly difficult, so I could read it in-between dealing with customers at work!

I got hooked on "Phantom of the Opera" only after watching the film rendition of the Lloyd Webber musical. As a practicing Catholic, I was moved by the spiritual/religious overtones of this piece (as in nearly all of Webber's musicals and operas). I read the book and expected a similar gratification; I wanted to know the original story.

And it was better (as books invariably are)! Gaston Leroux combines in his novel suspense, horror, intringue, romance, and punctuates it respectfully with spiritual elements that really bring out the Catholic piety of the protagonists. (This spiritual element I thought was brought out more in the film than in the musical.)

The musical does depart from the main storyline in several important respects; one must rid themselves of all presuppositions and approacht this book on its own terms, as Leroux would have wanted.

My favorite character, for instance, was Madame Giry, but she is not the ballet instructor in Leroux's tale, but is the Phantom's eccentric box-keeper.

This novel is not to be missed and rightly ranks among the French classics. A pity that more people know about the fimls than they do the original! ... Read more

Product Description
"I WAS passing through the waiting-room of the Morning Journal on a certain evening last year when my attention was drawn to a man seated in a corner. He was dressed in black and his appearance was that of the deepest dejection. In fact upon his face I read the most melancholy despair.

He was not weeping, his eyes were dry and almost expressionless and received the impression of exterior objects like motionless ice. He had placed upon his knees a small oaken chest, ornamented with ironwork. His hands were crossed over this object and hung down, accentuating his dejected appearance."