The Phantom of the Opera" is Gaston Lerouxs exquisite blend of Gothic horror & tragic romance which formed the basis for a world-renowned stage musical. This " Penguin Classics" edition is translated with notes by Mireille Ribiere & an introduction by Jann Matlock. When the new managers of the Paris Opera House ignore their predecessors warnings about the hideous Opera ghost stalking the theatre it is a fatal mistake. The Phantom haunts the imagination of the beautiful & talented singer Christine Daae 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 Phantom is consumed by jealousy & seeks revenge. & when Christine suddenly disappears after a triumphant singing performance it becomes clear that the Phantoms time has come. With its pervading atmosphere of menace tinged with dark humour " The Phantom of the Opera" (1910) has inspired film stage & literature since its publication including Andrew Lloyd Webbers " Phantom of the Opera" the most successful theatrical show of all time. Mireille Ribieres highly readable & historically accurate translation captures the drive & drama of Lerouxs vivid tale & is accompanied by extensive notes & further reading. Jann Matlocks fascinating new introduction examines the Phantoms legacy & uncovers the real secrets hidden in the Paris Opera House. Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was born in Paris the son of a building contractor. His first novel was serialised in the late 1890s & with the 1907 publication of " The Mystery of the Yellow Room" he launched his career as a pioneer of the French detective novel. " The Phantom of the Opera" (1910) has been Lerouxs best-known novel in the English-speaking world ever since the resounding success of the 1925 silent film version. If you enjoyed " The Phantom of the Opera" you might like Victor Hugos " Les Miserables" also available in " Penguin Classics"."
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Christine is a beautiful young singer at the Paris Opera. She is watched by the Operas phantom
- a mysterious masked figure who
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The thrilling story of the Opera Ghost legendary for making performers at the Paris Opera House apprehensive when they sit in their dressing-rooms or walk alone in the buildings corridors. But it isnt until the triumphant performance the sensual Christine & her startling disappearance that a sense of dread begins to pervade. In an ever increasing pattern of fear & violence the phantom of the opera begins to strike but always with the beautiful young singer at the centre of his macabre desires. Filled with the colour & theatrical spectacle of the Paris Opera House & the fascination of love transformed into murderous obsession this classic work of suspense remains a rivetting journey into the dark regions of the human heart. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its new range of best-loved essential classics. ' Look! You want to see! See! Feast your eyes glut your soul on my cursed ugliness! Look at Erik's face! Now you know the face of the voice!' Living secretly beneath the Paris Opera House ' The Phantom of the Opera' Erik has haunted those who work there with his demands & shrouded the opera house in fear with the legend of his disfigured face. When Christine joins the company a young woman with a beautiful voice Erik is instantly smitten & secretly teaches her to become a great singer. He soon develops an obsessive love for his beautiful protege even though she has fallen for her childhood friend resulting in her disappearance during a performance & sparking a tragic & terrifying chain of events. One of the most well-known & well-loved gothic horror stories Leroux's suspenseful tale of unrequited love passion & tragedy is both dark & moving in its portrayal of Erik the anti-hero in his yearning for Christine. ...

One of the most successful musicals of all time Andrew Lloyd Webbers The Phantom of the Opera has been running for nearly 20 years on Broadway & in the West End. It has delighted over 100 million people in 22 countries. The Phantom of the Opera Companion is the definitive account of the award-winning masterpiece tracing the phantom legend from its origins in historical fact through numerous artistic incarnations to the present-day theatre production & film. Divided into three parts the first section introduces the reader to Gaston Lerouxs classic story based on the Paris Opera House during la belle epoque; the second section provides a unique insight into the renowned theatre production with backstage pictures & enlightening interviews with the director designers & crew. The final section covers the making of Joel Schumachers 2004 film production. As the authorised volume book to accompany the film The Phantom of the Opera is a lavish insight into this classic story & its modern-day reincarnation. ...

When Milo finds an enormous package in his bedroom he's delighted to have something to relieve his boredom with school. & when he opens it to find
- as the label states
- One Genuine Turnpike Tollbooth he gets right into his pedal car & sets off through the Tollbooth & away on a magical journey! Milo's extraordinary voyage takes him into such places as the Land of Expectation the Doldrums the Mountains of Ignorance & the Castle in the Air. He meets the weirdest & most unexpected characters (such as Tock the watchdog the Gelatinous Giant & the Threadbare Excuse who mumbles the same thing over & over again) & once home can hardly wait to try out the Tollbooth again. But will it be still there when he gets back from school? This new edition of Norton Juster's classic story

Includes:: a special Why You'll Love This Book" introduction by award-winning author Diana Wynne Jones."



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Murderous Maths" has been given a gorgeous new cover look. Using a host of hilarious characters Kjartan Poskitt presents all the tricks tips & shortcuts to algebra they dont teach at school. Readers must pit their wits against Professor Fiendish in the Foul Formula Challenge & Chainsaw Charlie & his gruesome gang discover that even the simplest maths can be murderous. But look no further: " The Phantom" is here to banish algebraic agony
- for good."
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Yesterday Snowfield California was a charming little town basking in the golden afternoon sun. Today it is a place of nightmare. An ancient awesome force has spirited away almost the entire population of the town & left the bodies of those remaining bizarrely disfigured. What hope can there be for the few still left alive...? ...

Phantoms in The Brain takes a revolutionary new approach to theories of the brain from one of the worlds leading experimental neurologists. Phantoms in The Brain using a series of case histories introduces strange & unexplored mental worlds. Ramachandran through his research into brain damage has discovered that the brain is continually organising itself in response to change. A woman maintains that her left arm is not paralysed a young man loses his right arm in a motorcycle accident yet he continues to feel a phantom arm with vivid sensation of movement. In a series of experiments using nothing more than Q-tips & dribbles of warm water the young man helped Ramachandran discover how the brain is remapped after injury. Ramachandran believes that cases such as these illustrate fundamental principles of how the human brain operates. The brain needs to create a script" or a story to make sense of the world a unified & internally consistent belief system. Ramachandrans radical new approach will have far-reaching effects." ...

It is 1919 in Breslau. The hideously battered bodies of four young sailors are discovered on an island in the River Oder. When Criminal Assistant Mock arrives at the scene to investigate he discovers a note addressed to him asking him to confess his sins & to become a believer. As he endeavours to piece together the elements of this brutal crime Mock combs the brothels & drinking dens of Breslau & is drawn into an insidious game: it seems that anyone he questions during the course of the investigation is destined to become the murderers next victim. Ultimately he uncovers a secret society which has the Inspector himself clearly in its sights. Dark sophisticated & uncompromising the distinctive Breslau series has already received broad critical acclaim. Phantoms of Breslau confirms Criminal Assistant Mock as surely the most outrageous & original detective in crime fiction. ...