"The Palik Series of Jules Verne, Published in conjunction with the North American Jules Verne Society, Edited by Brian Taves" Long before Verne stories had formed the basis for such movies as Around the World in 80 Days, many of his plays were theatrical blockbusters on the 19th century stage. Expert scholarly research introduces four of Verne's plays written in his youth, translated by Frank Morlock. Verne's themes range from romantic comedies to a scientist's discovery that there may not be such a difference between human and ape after all

French adaptations of William Shakespeare by classic French authors, translated back into English and introduced by Frank Morlock: Hamlet by Alexander Dumas, pere; Ophelia by Arthur Rimbaud; and As You Like It by George Sand.

The hulkish Chri-Bibi, framed for a murder which he did not commit, escapes from Devil's Island by having the dying Marquis du Touchais' face grafted upon his own by a mad surgeon. But fate will not easily relinquish its prey and Chri-Bibi discovers that his newfound freedom and fortune have come at a terrible price. After The Phantom of the Opera and detective Joseph Rouletabille, Chri-Bibi is the third legendary hero created by one of France's greatest popular novelist and feuilletoniste of La Belle Epoque, Gaston Leroux (1868-1927).

They're everywhere. Their name is like a talisman that opens all doors and bends all wills. The man who can pronounce that name is master everywhere -- Gentlemen of the night In 1830 London, the Marquis de Rio Santo, leader of the criminal empire known as the Gentlemen of the Night, schemes to free Ireland by plunging England into chaos. Our soldiers believe in the existence of a supernatural being, a fantastic cavalier, dressed in the uniform of a French dragoon, who hides his face behind a black mask. In Spain during the Peninsular War of 1808, Don Cesar de Cabanil becomes the mysterious Captain Phantom to fight for justice and protect the innocents in his war-torn country. Paul Feval's greatest claim to fame is, undoubtedly, having been one of the founding fathers of modern heroic fiction. He developed the concepts of criminal masterminds in The Black Coats and its predecessor, Gentlemen of the Night (1843) and anticipated masked swashbucklers like Zorro with The White Wolf and Captain Phantom (1862).