Rumours that a ghost stalks the dark passages and cellars of the Paris Opera House, wreaking havoc, have long been rife among staff and performers. This Phantom also haunts the imagination of the beautiful and talented singer Christine Daaé, appearing to her as the 'Angel of Music' - a disembodied voice, coaching her to sing as she never could before. When Christine is courted by a handsome young Viscount, the mysterious spectre, who resides in the murky depths of the building, is consumed by jealousy and seeks revenge.

With its pervading atmosphere of menace, tinged with dark humour, The Phantom of the Opera (1910) offers a unique mix of Gothic horror and tragic romance that has inspired film, stage and literature since its publication.

The Phantom of the Opera lives under a famous opera house. A mere chorus girl, Christine Daae, becomes, under his guidance, a well known singer with a beautiful voice. But her old child hood sweetheart, the Vicount Raoul de Changy, has also entered the picture. The past comes back to haunt her, the future ahead is uncertain, and the present is undecided. Who will win the heart of Christine?; the handsome, rich Raoul or the masked Angel of Music? A story of romance, murder, sacrifice and sadness, this riveting, seductive tale will keep your emotions high until the very last page of the shocking conclusion.

"The Phantom of the Opera" is the most famous work of French author Gaston Leroux. Far darker than the stories familiar to audiences of today from the phenomenally successful Broadway musical and the early Lon Chaney, Jr. film, Leroux's "Fantom" is a genuine murderer, and the story, a true Gothic murder/horror tale. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, terrorizes the Opera Garnier (or Paris Opera House) by a successful multi-year blackmail plot. When new owners take over the Opera, Erik's reign of terror is abruptly curtailed. With this threat to his formerly comfortable living, and his budding, if bizarre relationship with the lovely soprano Christine Daee, coming to a halt, Erik takes drastic and murderous action. More complex, and far darker than the Broadway musical and film, some have criticized Leroux's novel for its deliberate Nineteenth century pace, and its talkiness. Others have found it fascinating and absorbing reading, with depths not to be found in the later, extraordinarily popular adaptations.

Experience for yourself the classic story of love, music, and murder which has captivated people for generations. When new managers take over the running of the Paris Opera House, they make light of warnings about a mysterious ghost who haunts the theater. But this Phantom is all too real, and attempts to ignore his demands have dangerous consequences. When a beautiful young singer becomes the object of fascination by both the Phantom and a handsome viscount, disaster is inevitable. Leroux's story, which he claims to have based on real events, has provided the basis for many adaptations on stage and screen. It is a thrilling and atmospheric novel which should not be missed.

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - The Opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of a spectral shade. When I began to ransack the archives of the National Academy of Music I was at once struck by the surprising coincidences between the phenomena ascribed to the "ghost" and the most extraordinary and fantastic tragedy that ever excited the Paris upper classes; and I soon conceived the idea that this tragedy might reasonably be explained by the phenomena in question. The events do not date more than thirty years back; and it would not be difficult to find at the present day, in the foyer of the ballet, old men of the highest respectability, men upon whose word one could absolutely rely, who would remember as though they happened yesterday the mysterious and dramatic conditions that attended the kidnapping of Christine Daae, the disappearance of the Vicomte de Chagny and the death of his elder brother, Count Philippe, whose body was found on the bank of the lake that exists in the lower cellars of the Opera on the Rue-Scribe side. But none of those witnesses had until that day thought that there was any reason for connecting the more or less legendary figure of the Opera ghost with that terrible story.

This thrilling novel and its many adaptations have captured the imaginations of countless audiences throughout the 20th century. The mystery classic featuring the "ghost" of the famed Paris landmark tells a gripping tale of human desire, fear, and violence before it resolves itself in a shocking and tragic confrontation.

First published by Dedalus in 1997, this locked-room detective novel from 1908 is a classic of early 20th-century detective fiction. At the heart of the novel is the enigma: how could a murder take place in a locked room which shows no sign of being entered? 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.

The story that has captured the imagination of readers for a century, this world-renowned gothic novel, the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical, is now available in this striking Centennial Edition, featuring a new Afterword. Revised reissue.

"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of story." David R. Hill, Director of the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading.

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (1868-1927) 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" (1910).