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Fantomas

The Fantômas Novels

The First Pulp Fiction? An Annotated Bibliography

Original Fantômas series written by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain:

The Fantômas novels were originally published in Paris by Arthème Fayard monthly from February 1911 to September 1913. The listing below will give the original French titles (translations in parentheses), the English-language editions, plus links to film and e-book versions.

Click on the thumbnails for larger cover images and plot synopses (where available). Book covers copyright Starace. All rights reserved.

  1. Thumbnail Fantômas. Paris: Arthème Fayard, February 1911.

    US/UK editions: Fantômas. New York: Brentano's, 1915; London: Stanley Paul, 1915; New York: William Morrow & Co., 1986; Mineola, NY: Dover, 2006.

    Filmed as: Fantômas. Produced by Gaumont Studios, Paris; directed by Louis Feuillade, 1913-14.

    Full text in English available through Project Gutenberg

  2. Thumbnail Juve contre Fantômas (Juve versus Fantômas). March 1911.

    US/UK editions: The Exploits Of Juve: Being the Second of the Series of "Fantômas" Detective Tales. Brentano's, 1917; Paul, 1917; The Silent Executioner: Being the Second in the Series of Fantômas Adventures. Morrow, 1987.

    Filmed as: Juve contre Fantômas (Juve versus Fantômas). Credits as above.

    Full text in English available through Project Gutenberg and Open Library

  3. Thumbnail Le mort qui tue (The corpse who kills). April 1911.

    US/UK editions: Messengers Of Evil. Brentano's, 1917; Paul, 1917. New translation with introduction: Fantômas: The Corpse Who Kills. Solar Books, 2008.

    Filmed as: Le mort qui tue (The corpse who kills). Credits as above.

    Full text in English available through Project Gutenberg

  4. Thumbnail L'agent secret (The secret agent). May 1911.

    US/UK editions: A Nest Of Spies. Brentano's, 1917; Paul, 1919.

    Full text in English available through Project Gutenberg and Open Library

  5. Thumbnail Un roi prisonnier de Fantômas (A royal prisoner of Fantômas). June 1911.

    US/UK editions: A Royal Prisoner. Brentano's 1918; Paul, 1919.

    Full text in English available through Project Gutenberg and Open Library

  6. Thumbnail Le policier apache (The thug-policeman). July 1911.

    US edition: The Long Arm Of Fantômas. New York: Macaulay, 1924. UK edition: A Limb Of Satan. Paul, 1924.

    Filmed as: Fantômas contre Fantômas (Fantômas vs. Fantômas). Credits as above.

  7. Thumbnail Le pendu de Londres (The hanged man of London). August 1911.

    UK edition: Slippery As Sin. Paul, 1920.

  8. Thumbnail La fille de Fantômas (The daughter of Fantômas). September 1911.

    US edition: The Daughter of Fantômas. Encino, CA: Black Coat Press, 2006.

  9. Thumbnail Le fiacre de nuit (Night cab). October 1911.

  10. Thumbnail La main coupée (The severed hand). November 1911.

  11. Thumbnail L'arrestation de Fantômas (Fantômas under arrest). December 1911.

  12. Thumbnail Le magistrat cambrioleur (The burglar judge). January 1912.

    Filmed as: Le faux magistrat (The false judge). Credits as above.

  13. Thumbnail La livrée du crime (Crime's employment agency). Feb. 1912.

  14. Thumbnail La mort de Juve (The death of Juve). Mar. 1912.

  15. Thumbnail L'évadée de Saint-Lazare (The escapee from St.-Lazare Prison). Apr. 1912.

  16. Thumbnail La disparition de Fandor (Fandor disappears). May 1912.

  17. Thumbnail Le mariage de Fantômas (The marriage of Fantômas). Jun. 1912.

  18. Thumbnail L'assassin de Lady Beltham (Lady Beltham's murderer). Jul. 1912.

  19. Thumbnail La guêpe rouge (The red wasp). Aug. 1912.

  20. Thumbnail Les souliers du mort (The fatal shoes). Sep. 1912.

  21. Thumbnail Le train perdu (The disappearing train). Oct. 1912.

  22. Thumbnail Les amours d'un prince (The loves of a prince). Nov. 1912.

  23. Thumbnail Le bouquet tragique (The deadly bouquet). Dec. 1912.

  24. Thumbnail Le jockey masqué (The masked jockey). Jan. 1913.

  25. Thumbnail Le cercueil vide (The empty coffin). Feb. 1913.

  26. Thumbnail Le faiseur de reines (The queen-maker). Mar. 1913.

  27. Thumbnail Le cadavre géant (The giant corpse). Apr. 1913.

  28. Thumbnail Le voleur d'or (The gold thief). May 1913.

  29. Thumbnail La série rouge (The bloody series). Jun. 1913.

  30. Thumbnail L'hôtel du crime (Crime hotel). Jul. 1913.

  31. Thumbnail La cravate de chanvre (The hangman's necktie). Aug. 1913.

  32. Thumbnail La fin de Fantômas (The end of Fantômas?). Sep. 1913.


Subsequent Fantômas series by Allain alone:

In 1925 Marcel Allain, having survived Pierre Souvestre (and having married his widow), began a new series of Fantômas adventures. They were first published by the Societe Parisienne d'Edition between April and September 1926 in 34 weekly magazines of 16 pages each. Arthème Fayard later published the "New Adventures" in book form. Each of the 5 novels combined 7 of SPE's magazines, except for the last for which Allain had to supply an additional 3000 lines:

  1. Fantômas est-il ressuscite? (Is Fantômas alive?) Paris: Arthème Fayard, December 1934. US/UK editions: The Lord Of Terror. McKay, 1925; Paul, 1925

  2. Fantômas roi des receleurs (Fantômas, Blacket-Market King) Fayard, December 1934. US/UK editions: Juve In The Dock. McKay, 1925; Paul, 1925; New York: A. L. Burt, 1927

  3. Fantômas en danger (Fantômas in danger). Fayard, February 1935. US/UK editions: Fantômas Captured. McKay, 1926; Paul, 1926; Burt, 1927

  4. Fantômas prend sa revanche (Fantômas takes his revenge). Fayard, March 1935. US/UK editions: The Revenge of Fantômas. McKay, 1927; Paul, 1927.

  5. Fantômas attaque Fandor (Fantômas attacks Fandor). Fayard, April 1935. UK editions: Bulldog & Rats. Paul, 1928

After numerous reprints of the original 32-novel series, a new edition was published from April 1932 to November 1934. This new edition had text cuts made with the cooperation of Allain, and all the titles which originally did not contain the name "Fantômas" were changed to do so. The titles of this second edition of the series have not been included here. Coinciding with this new edition of the original novels, Allain wrote several new Fantômas adventures which were published in serial form in various French newspapers from 1933-38, and later issued in book format by Arthème Fayard:

  1. Si c'etait Fantômas? (Can it be Fantômas?). Serialized in various French newspapers, 1933-38; Fayard, May 1935.

  2. Oui, c'est Fantômas! (Yes, it's Fantômas!). Serialized in various French newspapers, 1933-38; Fayard, June 1935.

  3. Fantômas joue et gagne (Fantômas gambles and wins). Serialized in various French newspapers, 1935-38; Fayard, April 1947.

Trading on the recognizable Fantômas name, Allain also wrote The Yellow Document: Fantômas of Berlin, whose title invokes the Genius of Crime, but which is not a part of the Fantômas series. The original edition only appears in English; there is no French edition. US/UK editions: Brentano's, 1919; Paul, 1920.

(Bibliography compiled by Robin Walz and Elliott Smith from Alfu's L'encyclopedie de Fantômas (Paris: Alfu/Autoedition, 1981) and Allen Hubin's Crime Fiction, 1749 - 1980 (New York: Garland Reference Library Of The Humanities, 1984).

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