The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux – c.1925 | Photoplay Edition, Lon Chaney Cover

This 1925 edition of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux includes photographic plates from the Universal Pictures silent film starring Lon Chaney. Issued by Grosset & Dunlap during the height of the film’s popularity, it reflects a key early example of the photoplay format, combining classic fiction with contemporary visual culture. The red cloth binding and pictorial jacket link the text directly to the 1925 adaptation, which played a central role in expanding American interest in horror cinema.

The black-and-white plates feature Chaney and other principal cast members in key scenes, printed on coated stock and inserted throughout the text. The typography and paper quality align with other 1920s Grosset reprint standards. Grosset & Dunlap issued multiple photoplay titles during this period; this example remains among the more recognizable due to Chaney’s prominence and the film’s sustained influence. While not the first English printing of Leroux’s work, this edition is one of the earliest to directly associate the story with a specific visual representation.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Phantom of the Opera
• Author(s): Gaston Leroux
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, New York
• Edition: Photoplay edition, circa 1925
• Format: Octavo, single volume
• Binding: Red cloth with black titles, facsimile dust jacket
• Size: 7.75 in × 5.25 in (19.5 cm × 13 cm)
• Collation: [8], 357, [3] pp.
• Illustrations: 6 plates; 4 black-and-white photo plates from the Universal Pictures film, 2 double-page color illustrations
• Contents Include:
  • Complete English translation of Leroux’s novel
  • Photographic scenes from the 1925 film adaptation
• Reference(s): ​ matches other verified Grosset & Dunlap photoplay issues

Condition:

Bound in red publisher’s cloth with black stamped lettering to the spine and upper board. This copy includes a facsimile dust jacket reproduced from the original film-issue wrapper. The binding is secure, with minor shelfwear and rubbing to extremities. Internally clean throughout with light age-toning at the margins. The photographic and color plates remain complete and intact, showing no notable blemishes.

Why Collect This?

• Early photoplay edition incorporating stills from Universal’s 1925 silent film
• Lon Chaney image on both jacket and interior plates
• Reflects early 20th-century media crossover in print form
• Grosset & Dunlap’s photoplay line includes some of the most visually distinctive reprint issues of the 1920s
• Suitable for collectors focused on silent film, horror fiction, or cinematic memorabilia in book form

Item Number: #28623