Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. LEROUX (Gaston). Paris, Pierre Lafitte & Cie, 1910. First Edition. Octavo (8vo) (18.8 x 12.5 cm), red half-morocco binding, with 5 raised bands spine, author and title in gilt letters. Marbled boards. Lower corners bumped and top of boards faded over 1 cm. Solid binding and original covers preserved. 520 pp. Interior fresh and free of foxing, in very good condition. The cover page of our copy indicates "17th edition", but it is indeed the first edition. The edition statement appearing on certain 1910 copies ("12th edition", "14th edition", "17th edition", or even "30th edition") should not be considered as the sole means of determining the actual bibliographic rank of the copy: these statements are known to have been used by the publisher for commercial purposes; these are what are called "factitious editions," intended to give the impression of commercial success, a common practice at that time. Furthermore, our 1910 copy is well characterized, in its first state, by the typo on page 400 where one reads "fatal rocher" instead of "fatal nocher". This typo was corrected in subsequent printings. Finally, although the page facing the title presents a list of works by Gaston Leroux, among which appears Le Fantôme de l’Opéra accompanied by the mention "22nd edition", this copy is indeed linked to the 1910 publications. This indication does not correspond to a true succession of editions: copies dated 1912, materially very similar, notably bear the mention "20th edition" on their cover. This dating is well confirmed, because the work announced as "in preparation", Le Fauteuil hanté, will only be published in 1911. Gaston Leroux (1868-1927), French journalist and writer, is the author of this great novel, which has become a classic. Published in volume in 1910, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra quickly met with international success and became a recognized work of French fantastic literature. Its numerous adaptations, notably the famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, have established its hero as a global myth. The first edition of 1910 is particularly sought after by bibliophiles, especially when it is preserved in its original state.