Gaston Leroux Books

I bought a copy of this book at a performance of The Phantom Of The Opera in 2000 and really love it. I tried to purchase a copy for a friend at the most recent performance we went to but it is no longer available and feel very lucky to have been able to find it here at Amazon. It tells of the Paris Opera House, Gaston Leroux, the original story and the movies. The reason I bought it is the last 100+ pages cover the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and includes some incredible photographs. I was delighted when I got home and found it also includes the Libretto! I would encourage any fan of the musical to purchase a copy.

Loads of beautiful photos and lots of info. I love it. We do need and expanded edition to cover the movie. This is for Phantom Fans.

This a must have for any phans of the A.L.W. musical!!

This book... I have no words on how amazing it is.

When I rekindled my love for musicals, and of course, Phantom of the Opera made that happened... I had to get everything and learn everything about Phantom. So I found this book at the library and I went insane over it.

Firstly, it gives a clear background history on Gaston Leroux--the writer and the creator of Phantom of the Opera. Then, it goes into another section when talking about the films it inspired. You'll be surprised and amazed when you see it and read about it. Not only that, it tells you some small tidbit facts on the actors and actresses of these movies.

And then, my favorite part, it goes into the Lloyd Webber musical. And when I say "goes into" I mean it!! There are so many pictures of the Original London Cast it's phenominal! There ares ome behind the scenes pictures as well. I never seen so many pictures about Phantom sure in a book, ever.

And when you think that's enough, there is a libretto of the stage production--including scrafito'ed pictures of the OLC copied in there as it was when the CD/Cassette first made it's debut.

All in all, it's not clearly updated as it is now, there is mention of the movie and who they want in it. But otherwise, if you are a London Cast or simply a Phantom obsessionist, you MUST have this book. If you find it at a house sale, a junk pile, book sale... whatever... BUY IT. You will not be dissapointed!!

I recently purchased both 'The Complete Phantom of the Opera'and the novel, and I am soo impressed! After I saw the movie and bought the soundtrack, I knew that I had to have these books. My interst in the Phantom of the Opera was first sparked when I saw the silent version with Lon Cheney. Then I heard about the movie coming out, so I saw it and I was more than impressed. I still have yet to see the Broadway version however. So, I highly recommend the movie, the soundtrack and the books. In my opinion each is well worth the cost!!

Being a film buff, and the latest Phantom of the Opera now my favorite flick, I wanted to garner some history of the various film adaptations and this was very interesting.

This is THE MOST comprehensive book to date on the 1925 film, 'The Phantom of the Opera'. It has countless articles, interviews, facts, newspaper clippings, screencaps, photographs, etc. Amazing. 'Nuff said.

Shame on the editor of this book! The incredible research that went into this book is belittled by the fact that it is not very well written. Spelling and grammatical errors abound in this otherwise-excellent volume. This is the only book I own from this series; I sincerely hope that these problems were absent in other titles.

Other than that, I can say that this is the definitive book about Chaney's Phantom. Facts in this book are repeated in the "ultimate edition" 2-disc DVD, which includes the best-they-could-do of the 1925 original, which eluded the original authors of this book.

Regardless of my own personal pickiness, if you are a fan of silent films and/or Chaney's Phantom, please get this book. It's a wonderfully immersive read.

I had thought Riley's work on MagicImage's THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN was the be-all end all coverage of a classic film until I'd picked this up. And just like the other reviews have stated, this is comprehensive and *THE* book on the original Phantom whether for casual interest or serious study. It's like compiling EVERY single article that you've seen or heard of on the film into this one rather large compendium. Forget Famous Monsters (Devil rest its soul) . This ... is serious and you will walk away with a new appreciation for the craft that was involved in creating this and other old films. Yes, the pressbook is here, scripts, interviews and other insights to this film that would otherwise be lost. There's a ton of stills that are quite rare and just as rarely seen. The pressbook is just incredible, being a total movie-promo snapshot of times gone by. It was cool to see, albeit small, a shot of Chaney and his wife (!) showing up at the premiere. There are scene comparisons betweeen the releases via text and pictures (the unmasking scene) as well as visual reconstruction of scenes deleted from the movie premier that none will ever see in moving form (likely) EVER again, but here, we see them sequentially by way of actual stills, adding some understanding as to why the reissue is oftimes a confusing flick. Another really welcome part was the overview of Chaney's changing makeup throughout the film to accomadate the drama. This is the first time I think I've ever seen a commentary (AND with photos) on what I'd noticed while watching the film, at least one this thorough. But here, stills illustrate the changing nose, forehead, cheekbones, and totally puts into perspective Chaney's mastery of the medium that he'd worked in and what he was trying to convey with these changes. If you want in-depth, this is it. If you are a Chaney Phantom geek, this is it. Pick it up, and don't think about it too long, since this will likely go out of print and be a pain to find, much like the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN edition. If you're serious about Chaney, also check out LON OF 1000 FACES, by Forrest J Ackerman, which is a rerelease of the title, that just came out (9/03). It provides a VISUAL/PHOTOGRAPHIC overview of Chaney's films that would be a good companion to Riley's or any other Chaney book. That one draws from Ackerman's massive stills collection, ...

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) is one of the most famous silent films ever made, and this book follows the making of the film from beginning to end. Riley starts with the story of the Paris Opera house, Gaston LeRoux, and the novel. Then he follows the complicated production, with problems over Lon Chaney's participation, many rewrites, previews, and re-edited versions. When sound films came along, it was re-cut and opera sequences were added. This book has reprinted the entire pressbook, the original script, plus sections of the different script versions. Riley interviewed heroine Mary Philbin and several of the technical crew-members for this book. If you are a fan of Lon Chaney Sr., you will want this book.

The plot by itself is very intriguing; an attempted murder has been committed; in a sealed room and the culprit has vanished without a trace. Loroux keeps you on the hinge; by feeding the reader with tid-bits of information which keeps the curiosity and suspense elevated through out. He does not reveal everything the detective is thinking all at once; but leaves the reader creating their own theory, based on all the clues that are collected. In the end all the knots are tied. The novel is also about the rivalry between detective Frederick Larson and a young investigative journalist, Rouletabille. Larson finds a suspect who is put on trial, only to have him cleared by Rouletabille, who dramatically reveals the identity of the real murderer. The Mystery of the Yellow Room is a novel which consciously tries to outdo the traditional detective novel with classic intellectual conundrums.

I've been looking for this story for many years, as it's always listed as being one of the first in the locked room mystery genre, and one of the best. I am so happy to have found it (thank you, internet!!) as I was not disappointed.

Let me say upfront, that if you read Phantom of the Opera, and were disappointed in the writing style, do not shy away from The Mystery of the Yellow Room. I can hardly believe the same author wrote both stories. It's a great read, it flows well, and I could hardly put it down. The characterization and style are very similar to Conan Doyle's works. The locked room mystery kept me guessing. Ultimately all the clues were there, and the ending was "fair", even if I was suprised. I wish there were more tales about our detective, as this first book was fabulous!The ending had a very good twist to it, and is a precursor to some of Dame Agatha Christie's works.

In summary, a great read, a great mystery plot, and decent characterizations. This is worth finding, to see a classic in the locked room genre.

Yo leí este libro pues me hice fanática del musical. Es un excelente libro, pero me decepcionó un poco que el musical no se apegara del todo al libro original.
Muchas de las cosas que en la obra musical quedan sin explicar, o sin entender, en este libro quedan resueltas.

Excelente elección si deciden comprarlo.

This book is great! A must have for all phantom phans.

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!

I read this book not knowing what to expect. I had read many mystery books before this one so I was pretty good at figuring out who the culprit was and how the crime was committed. The Mystery of the Yellow Room was a different story. As I was reading I tried to work out how it was done and who did it but I was stumped and I can guarentee that whoever else reads this book will be stumped as well. Ending is a great twist. This is a great mystery and I also recommend the sequel The Perfume of the Lady in Black.

the phantom of thy opera the book that started it all first long caney became the phantom then it was later all put into differnt productions by differnt people but andrew lloyd webber succed in the making of the opera into a stage play it didnt go so well but it did very well without swords and stuff all in all great book great movie emmy rossum is such a hottie like holla at you emmy you were awesome in the day after tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you rule emmy you rock my socks off you rule you own you own you rock

"...little Giry stood screaming like a peacock." Any book including lines like that one may well remain in print a century after its first publication. Yes, it's typically 19th Century in its style; but Gaston Leroux's original tale is far superior to its film and stage adaptations, and his "voice" as an author comes across beautifully despite my need to read him in translation.

The Paris Opera House, a structure so vast that it's inhabited by a veritable community, is built over an underground lake. No wonder its ghost, who signs himself "O.G." (for "Opera Ghost," of course!), fits into that setting so naturally; and no wonder the Opera's new managers are so certain O.G. is a joke being played on them by their predecessors. It's just too perfect, you see. A ghost is just what this place needs, so who can blame them for disbelieving both the formers managers and Madame Giry, custodian of the Opera Ghost's reserved box?

Erik, the Opera Ghost, is only too real. This insane genius, who hides his disfigured face behind a mask, comes to a double crisis as the new managers refuse his accustomed prerogatives - a salary, and the perpetual reservation of Box 5 - and as Christine Daae, the beautiful young soprano whose voice the ghost has personally trained, reconnects with a childhood friend and falls in love. That's the setup for a horror story fully deserving of its classic status.

(By the way since amazon doesn't have the pic for this item, it has tightly sewn blue cover. Kind of like how books were published back then where they had blank covers, with just the title on the stem.) Oh and remember this is a comparison review to the musical/movie to the Novel.

Well I'm sure if you've read reviews on other editions of this book then you probably know already that this book isn't very well written. True Gaston Leroux isn' the best writer, but I'm sure if you read books frequently (foresay 2-3 books a month) then you'd beable to "make the book out" and understand it.

The characters are of course Christine, Phantom (Erik) and Raoul. But there's also an added Persian/Daroga during the end of the chapters. (Whom helps Raoul to find Christine in the sewers of the Opera). Now after watching the movie their are some differences. For one thing, Christine seems a more stronger character, not , "the next" Disney Princess. If you never liked Raoul, then you'll undoubteldly hate him even more. His character seems more weak to where his youth shows, and if you ever thought of him as the brave noble prince descending into Hell to free his Princess; then well...you will never think that of him again. Erik or Phantom's deformity is his whole face. The Persian explains his past and sometimes Erik will make comments about his childhood and his mother. (Theres also a brief chapter in the end that tells of the places he traveled and etc.). He seems more horrible, not his face exactly, but his personality. Such as when they're explaining his laughter and his response to Christine taking off his mask. I wouldn't say crazy, but, horrible, and terrifying.

Now you must understand they don't go all into the scenes with Erik and Christine.(I, to my dissapointment, found this out.) They do alot with Raoul and Christine, and you go into their childhood sweetheart backround. But theirs only brief appearances of the Phantom throughout most of the story. Even the Masquerade scene, and the fall of the Chandelier. If anything, the events that were all mesmerizing in the musical and movie happened way shorter than expected, while reading. (Webber stretched things out, for his musical).

Now don't let this dissapoint you, its more of a warning of what to expect. Things do get explained, by another character or whatever, eventually sooner or later.

The ending is different (not the big point of no return reprise). In fact they don't do any of that. Yes, true, Christine did save Raoul (and the Persian) but the Phantom never really gave her choice. (She was going to stay with him, or die with him, forever no matter what.) In a word, not as dramatic. But this won't stop you from shedding those tears, I caught a lump in my throat several times while reading the ending passages. But there is good news! The kissing scene (or two kisses on the forehead, I should say) were described excellently. And that was the part when you'd start shedding tears, for they were described from Eriks point of view.

The book was an overall good read. And I recommend it for any devoted Phan. It would be another item to add to your Phantom collection, or for just any plain reader, to have a good read. The ending will tug at your heart, and will leave you knowing the true meaning of tragic love.