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Maurice Leblanc

Fine-art aficionado. Master of disguise. Jewelry expert. Historian. Gentleman. Burglar. Arsène Lupin is all of these and more. In 1905, Maurice Leblanc introduced his gentleman burglar in the story "L'Arrestation d'Arsène Lupin". Shortly thereafter, the stories were collected as one single volume. In these charming adventures, Lupin orchestrates a myriad of extravagant heists in the very face of the determined Inspector Ganimard. With his sparkling wit, his sharp eye for detail, and his incredible gift of anticipation, Lupin carries off the most amazing thefts and never leaves a clue behind. And yet he is ever the embodiment of gentlemanly manners and old-school chivalry. Take these first adventures for a whirl, and witness how he measures up when he goes toe to toe with the redoubtable Sherlock Holmes himself!

B.J. Harrison

Arsène Lupin

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar: Arsène Lupin, Book 1

Edgar Jepson

This early work was originally a 4-part play written by Maurice Leblanc and Francis de Croisset in 1908, and subsequently novelized by Leblanc and published in 1909 with Edgar Jepson. We are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was born on 11th November 1864 in Rouen, Normandy, France. He was a novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective, Arsène Lupin. Leblanc spent his early education at the Lycée Pierre Corneille (in Rouen), and after studying in several countries and dropping out of law school, he settled in Paris and began to write fiction. From the start, Leblanc wrote both short crime stories and longer novels - and his lengthier tomes, heavily influenced by writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, were critically admired, but met with little commercial success. Leblanc was largely considered little more than a writer of short stories for various French periodicals when the first Arsène Lupin story appeared. 

It was published as a series of stories in the magazine 'Je Sais Trout', starting on 15th July, 1905. Clearly created at editorial request under the influence of, and in reaction to, the wildly successful Sherlock Holmes stories, the roguish and glamorous Lupin was a surprise success and Leblanc's fame and fortune beckoned. In total, Leblanc went on to write twenty-one Lupin novels or collections of short stories. 

On this success, he later moved to a beautiful country-side retreat in Étreat (in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France), which today is a museum dedicated to the Arsène Lupin books. Leblanc was awarded the Légion d'Honneur - the highest decoration in France - for his services to literature. He died in Perpignan (the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France) on 6th November 1941, at the age of seventy-six. He is buried in the prestigious Montparnasse Cemetery of Paris.

Read & Co. Classics

ArsÃ¨ne Lupin

Arsène Lupin is an audacious crook who, using his powers of deduction, commits untraceable crimes. Witty, cunning and endlessly charming, follow Lupin’s colourful adventures as he rights the rich’s wrongs and gives back to the poor.

In a charming combination of Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood, Maurice Leblanc puts a French twist on these timeless tales. The titular character, Arsène Lupin, is a mischievous gentleman with an unlimited number of disguises at his disposal. His cleverness, finesse and incredible foresight make him an exceptional criminal, while his wit and humour are utterly charming.
 

First published in 1905, this short story collection contains the first eight tales in Arsène’s adventure series:

- The Arrest of Arsène Lupin
- Arsène Lupin in Prison
- The Escape of Arsène Lupin
- The Mysterious Traveller
- The Queen’s Necklace
- The Seven of Hearts
- Madame Imbert’s Safe
- The Black Pearl
- Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late

Proudly republished by Read & Co. Classics, The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar is a must-read for fans of crime fiction and lovers of Sherlock Holmes.

The Extraordinary Adventures of ArsÃ¨ne Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar

Gentleman thief Arsène Lupin finds himself wrongfully accused of murder, and must find the real killer to clear his name. This early work by Maurice Leblanc was originally published in 1910 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was born on 11th November 1864 in Rouen, Normandy, France. He was a novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective, Arsène Lupin. Leblanc spent his early education at the Lycée Pierre Corneille (in Rouen), and after studying in several countries and dropping out of law school, he settled in Paris and began to write fiction. From the start, Leblanc wrote both short crime stories and longer novels - and his lengthier tomes, heavily influenced by writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, were critically admired, but met with little commercial success. Leblanc was largely considered little more than a writer of short stories for various French periodicals when the first Arsène Lupin story appeared. It was published as a series of stories in the magazine 'Je Sais Trout', starting on 15th July, 1905. Clearly created at editorial request under the influence of, and in reaction to, the wildly successful Sherlock Holmes stories, the roguish and glamorous Lupin was a surprise success and Leblanc's fame and fortune beckoned. In total, Leblanc went on to write twenty-one Lupin novels or collections of short stories. On this success, he later moved to a beautiful country-side retreat in Étreat (in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France), which today is a museum dedicated to the Arsène Lupin books. Leblanc was awarded the Légion d'Honneur - the highest decoration in France - for his services to literature. He died in Perpignan (the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France) on 6th November 1941, at the age of seventy-six. He is buried in the prestigious Montparnasse Cemetery of Paris.

"The Crystal Stopper" is another favourite mystery novel by Leblanc where during a burglary at the home of Deputy Daubrecq, a crime is committed and two accomplices of Arsène Lupin are arrested by the police. This early work by Maurice Leblanc was originally published in 1912 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was born on 11th November 1864 in Rouen, Normandy, France. He was a novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective, Arsène Lupin. From the start, Leblanc wrote both short crime stories and longer novels - and his lengthier tomes, heavily influenced by writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, were critically admired, but met with little commercial success. Leblanc was largely considered little more than a writer of short stories for various French periodicals when the first Arsène Lupin story appeared. It was published as a series of stories in the magazine 'Je Sais Trout', starting on 15th July, 1905. Clearly created at editorial request under the influence of, and in reaction to, the wildly successful Sherlock Holmes stories, the roguish and glamorous Lupin was a surprise success and Leblanc's fame and fortune beckoned. In total, Leblanc went on to write twenty-one Lupin novels or collections of short stories. On this success, he later moved to a beautiful country-side retreat in Étreat (in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France), which today is a museum dedicated to the Arsène Lupin books. Leblanc was awarded the Légion d'Honneur - the highest decoration in France - for his services to literature. He is buried in the prestigious Montparnasse Cemetery of Paris.

The Crystal Stopper

"The Confessions of Arsène Lupin" is a collection of nine stories - or confessions - of the celebrated gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. This early work by Maurice Leblanc was originally published in 1913 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was born on 11th November 1864 in Rouen, Normandy, France. He was a novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective, Arsène Lupin. Leblanc spent his early education at the Lycée Pierre Corneille (in Rouen), and after studying in several countries and dropping out of law school, he settled in Paris and began to write fiction. From the start, Leblanc wrote both short crime stories and longer novels - and his lengthier tomes, heavily influenced by writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, were critically admired, but met with little commercial success. Leblanc was largely considered little more than a writer of short stories for various French periodicals when the first Arsène Lupin story appeared. It was published as a series of stories in the magazine 'Je Sais Trout', starting on 15th July, 1905. Clearly created at editorial request under the influence of, and in reaction to, the wildly successful Sherlock Holmes stories, the roguish and glamorous Lupin was a surprise success and Leblanc's fame and fortune beckoned. In total, Leblanc went on to write twenty-one Lupin novels or collections of short stories. On this success, he later moved to a beautiful country-side retreat in Étreat (in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France), which today is a museum dedicated to the Arsène Lupin books. Leblanc was awarded the Légion d'Honneur - the highest decoration in France - for his services to literature. He died in Perpignan (the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France) on 6th November 1941, at the age of seventy-six. He is buried in the prestigious Montparnasse Cemetery of Paris.

The Confessions of ArsÃ¨ne Lupin

"The Eight Strokes of the Clock" is a collection of eight short stories by Maurice Leblanc. The stories have his most famous creation, Arsène Lupin, gentleman-thief, as the main character. The eight stories, even though independent, have a leading thread: Lupin, under the name of Serge Rénine, trying to conquer the heart of a young lady, solving eight mysteries on the way. This early work by Maurice Leblanc was originally published in 1922 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc was born on 11th November 1864 in Rouen, Normandy, France. He was a novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective, Arsène Lupin. From the start, Leblanc wrote both short crime stories and longer novels - and his lengthier tomes, heavily influenced by writers such as Flaubert and Maupassant, were critically admired, but met with little commercial success. Leblanc was largely considered little more than a writer of short stories for various French periodicals when the first Arsène Lupin story appeared. It was published as a series of stories in the magazine 'Je Sais Trout', starting on 15th July, 1905. Clearly created at editorial request under the influence of, and in reaction to, the wildly successful Sherlock Holmes stories, the roguish and glamorous Lupin was a surprise success and Leblanc's fame and fortune beckoned. In total, Leblanc went on to write twenty-one Lupin novels or collections of short stories. On this success, he later moved to a beautiful country-side retreat in Étreat (in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France), which today is a museum dedicated to the Arsène Lupin books. He died in Perpignan (the capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France) on 6th November 1941, at the age of seventy-six.

The Eight Strokes of the Clock

The national burglar of France faces off against the national detective of England in two unforgettable stories. Originally released as Arsène Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes because of copyright issues, we have taken the liberty of replacing the counterfeit names originally published with those of the original sleuth himself, Sherlock Holmes (in the place of Herlock Sholmes) and his faithful Dr. Watson (in the place of Wilson). The result is an experience for the ages that you won't want to miss.

Three desperate crimes each proclaim the orchestration of Arsène Lupin (master of disguise, historian, fine-art expert, and gentleman thief). How did he do this, given their sheer impossibility and absolute lack of clues? All three of these burglaries couldn't have logically happened, and the valuable pieces are, indeed, missing. Though Inspector Ganimard, who has already arrested Lupin once, does his very best, he is at a complete loss. Finally, the great Sherlock Holmes himself is brought in to bring the elusive Lupin to justice.

Both are at the very pinnacles of their respective professions, and each gives as well as he gets in this royal battle of wits. Don't miss this extravagant game of plot and counterplot with two of the greatest characters in the mystery genre: Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin.

Arsène Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes: Arsène Lupin, Book 2

Something seems off. Lupin sensed it before it happened. When a simple burglary goes terribly wrong, and two of Lupin’s accomplices are sentenced to the guillotine, Lupin’s quest to free them reveals itself to be more twisted and darker than he’d ever imagined. 

Inspired by the infamous Panama scandals of 1892 and 1893, and expanding on the main concept in Poe’s The Purloined Letter, Leblanc weaves a thrilling tale of twists and turns with Lupin’s characteristic panache.

All the world knows the exploits of Arsène Lupin, man of mystery, adventurer, and private detective—when it suits him!

But now, a corner of the veil of mystery is lifted. For the first time, readers will find in this new adventure of the master-crook some indication of the Man behind the Mask. Arsène Lupin goes through life under a hundred aliases, a shadowy figure. But he is a human being like his fellows and can be moved by love and fear like other men.

As “Jean d’Enneris, ” Lupin finds himself engaged in a curious duel with his old opponent, Chief Inspector Béchoux. The Mélamare Mystery finds Lupin working both for and against the police—rather in his “Barnett” manner.