The Fantômas Novels

The First Pulp Fiction? An Annotated Bibliography

Original Fantômas series by Souvestre and Allain:

1. 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. Click here for synopsis & original book cover. (Book covers copyright Starace. All rights reserved.)
   
   
   • Filmed as: Fantômas. Produced by Gaumont Studios, Paris; directed by Louis Feuillade, 1913-14

2. 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. Click here for synopsis & original book cover
   
   
   • Filmed as: Juve contre Fantômas Credits as above.

3. Le mort qui tue (The killer corpse). April 1911. US/UK editions: Messengers Of Evil. Brentano's, 1917; Paul, 1917. Click here for synopsis & original book cover
   
   
   • Filmed as: Le mort qui tue (The murderous corpse). Credits as above.

4. L'agent secret (The secret agent). May 1911. US/UK editions: A Nest Of Spies. Brentano's, 1917; Paul, 1919. Click here for original book cover

5. Un roi prisonnier de Fantômas (A royal prisoner of Fantômas). June 1911. US/UK editions: A Royal Prisoner. Brentano's 1918; Paul, 1919. Click here for original book cover

6. 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. Click here for original book cover
   
   
   • Filmed as: Fantômas contre Fantômas (Fantômas vs. Fantômas). Credits as above.

7. Le pendu de Londres (The hanged man of London). August 1911. UK edition: Slippery As Sin. Paul, 1920. Click here for synopsis & original book cover

8. La fille de Fantômas (The daughter of Fantômas). September 1911. US edition: The Daughter of Fantômas. Encino, CA: Black Coat Press, 2006. Click here for original book cover

9. Le fiacre de nuit (Night cab). October 1911. Click here for original book cover

10. La main coupée (The severed hand). November 1911. Click here for original book cover

11. L'arrestation de Fantômas (Fantômas under arrest). December 1911. Click here for original book cover

12. Le magistrat cambrioleur (The burglar judge). January 1912. Click here for original book cover
    • Filmed as: Le faux magistrat (The false judge). Credits as above.

13. La livrée du crime (Crime's employment agency). Feb. 1912. Click here for original book cover

14. La mort de Juve (The death of Juve). Mar. 1912. Click here for original book cover

15. L'évadée de Saint-Lazare (The escapee from St.-Lazare Prison). Apr. 1912. Click here for original book cover

16. La disparition de Fandor (Fandor disappears). May 1912. Click here for original book cover

17. Le mariage de Fantômas (The marriage of Fantômas). Jun. 1912. Click here for original book cover

18. L'assassin de Lady Beltham (Lady Beltham's murderer). Jul. 1912. Click here for original book cover

19. La guêpe rouge (The red wasp). Aug. 1912. Click here for original book cover

20. Les souliers du mort (The fatal shoes). Sep. 1912. Click here for original book cover

21. Le train perdu (The disappearing train). Oct. 1912. Click here for original book cover

22. Les amours d'un prince (The loves of a prince). Nov. 1912. Click here for original book cover

23. Le bouquet tragique (The deadly bouquet). Dec. 1912. Click here for original book cover

24. Le jockey masqué (The masked jockey). Jan. 1913. Click here for original book cover

25. Le cercueil vide (The empty coffin). Feb. 1913. Click here for original book cover

26. Le faiseur de reines (The queen-maker). Mar. 1913. Click here for original book cover

27. Le cadavre géant (The giant corpse). Apr. 1913. Click here for original book cover

28. Le voleur d'or (The gold thief). May 1913. Click here for original book cover

29. Le série rouge (The bloody series). Jun. 1913. Click here for original book cover

30. L'hôtel du crime (Crime hotel). Jul. 1913. Click here for original book cover

31. La cravate de chanvre (The hangman's necktie). Aug. 1913. Click here for original book cover

32. La fin de Fantômas (The end of Fantômas?). Sep. 1913. Click here for original book cover

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:

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

34. 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

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

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

37. 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:

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

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

40. 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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