Arsène Lupin (the authentic novel of the play) by Maurice Leblanc and Edgar Jepson (trans.)

LEBLANC, Maurice; Edgar JEPSON (translator). Arsène Lupin. From the Play by Maurice Leblanc and Francis de Croisset. London, Mills and Boon, 1909.

First edition, in the scarce dust jacket, of this English translation of Leblanc’s novel, with a photographic portrait of the author to the front cover.

The story originally appeared as a four-part play by Maurice Leblanc and Francis de Croisset, a Belgian-born French playwright and opera librettist. Titled Arsène Lupin, the play premiered on 28 October 1908 at the Théâtre de l’Athénée in Paris and met with considerable success. It was subsequently adapted into a novel by Leblanc and published in French in 1909. The same year saw the release of this English translation by Edgar Jepson, author of adventure and detective fiction.

Octavo, pp. 344, 32; an excellent copy; original black cloth, titles to spine gilt and to front board in red, small photographic portrait of the author to front board, with the printed dust jacket (spine slightly rolled, edges lightly foxed, dust jacket with browned spine panel, shallow chips and tears to extremities and repairs to verso).