The original version of Leroux' Phantom, published in Le Gaulois is available online at BNF's Gallica site

The story was first published as a serial in the newspaper Le Gaulois, running from the 23rd September 1909 until 8th January 1910.

Anyone wishing to read the real original version can do so at the BNF (Bibliothèque Nationale de France) site for newspaper publications, Gallica.

Showing here, as they say:

First instalment of Leroux' "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra"

HERE IS THE PUBLICATION THAT STARTED IT ALL!!!

I'm using Christine's capitals and triple exclamation points from "Apollo's Lyre," but for good reason -- this is a "Holy Grail" of sorts.

From September 23, 1909, to January 8, 1910, the daily newspaper, Le Gaulois, published Gaston Leroux's novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, in short segments on Page 3 (and occasionally on Page 4 or 5) as part of its feuilleton series (a feuilleton was a serialized story).

Although they may seem unusual today, serialized novels were relatively commonplace in the 1800s and early 1900s (though they were becoming less so when Le Fantôme was written). Newspapers and journals would print an author's work section by section, and then the finished piece would be published as a book shortly thereafter. Masters of the serialized novel include Charles Dickins, Alexander Dumas, and of course, Gaston Leroux.

Here are links to scans of each of these segments of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra as they appeared in the Gaulois! This is an absolute MUST if you are a phan that reads French, and a good excuse to learn French if you are a phan that doesn't!

This serialized novel is the pre-first edition of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, and as such, there are some big differences between this version and the 1910 first edition that all subsequent books are based on, including **AN ENTIRE CHAPTER** that does not appear in any other edition: "L'Enveloppe magique" ("The Magic Envelope"). This chapter was originally Chapter 11, and it was situated between "Au bal masqué" ("At the Masquerade Ball") and "Il faut oublier le nom de 'la voix d’homme'" ("You Must Forget the Name of 'the Man's Voice'"). I have no idea why it was removed from Leroux's published novel.

In "The Magic Envelope," Erik plays Richard and Moncharmin against each other (Moncharmin is convinced for a while that F. de l'O. is actually Richard), and then gives the managers a self-addressed envelope to transmit 20,000 francs to him by way of Mme Giry. The managers try to trick Erik by giving him fake bank notes, but Erik knows his money, and is not fooled! He is furious and threatens them with another chandelier disaster. They then decide to give him the 20,000 francs, since they will know by this that he is a real person (or as they call it, "a fake Phantom") and they will have a better sense of who they are dealing with. They place the 20,000 francs in a sealed envelop, and set it down on the little table in Box 5, half expecting nothing to happen, though they still watch it intently throughout that evening's performance. However, when they open up the envelop, they realize that their Phantom must be a master magician, because the envelope now contains the fake bank notes, and the 20,000 francs are nowhere to be seen! THIS is the business of the "magic envelop" that Leroux mentions in his Foreword. Oh, and also Erik evidently enjoys reading a serialized novel called "La Fille du Vampire" ("The Vampire's Daughter") because Mercier finds a chapter of it amongst some of Erik's possessions -- that was where I lost it completely!

Also, please note that after Chapter VI below, the chapter numbering became skewed, such that it skips ahead to Chapter VIII and there is no Chapter VII. I do not believe, however, that there is an actual missing chapter; it is much more likely that this is simply a typo that was never corrected. I will make a more thorough survey of all of these differences as I write my translation of Phantom.

September 23, 1909 (Thursday)
Avant-Propos: Où l’auteur de ce singulier ouvrage raconte au lecteur comment il fut conduit à acquérir la certitude que le fantôme de l’Opéra a réellement existé
(Foreword: In Which the Author of This Singular Work Relates to the Reader How He Came to Acquire the Certainty that the Phantom of the Opera Really Existed)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534464n/f3.image

September 24, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter I, Part 1
Est-ce le fantôme? (Is It the Phantom?)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344651/f3.image

September 25, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter I, Part 2
Est-ce le fantôme? (Is It the Phantom?)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534466d/f3.image

September 27, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter I, Part 3
Est-ce le fantôme? (Is It the Phantom?)
Chapter II, Part 1
La Marguerite nouvelle (The New Marguerite)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344685/f3.image

September 28, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter II, Part 2
La Marguerite nouvelle (The New Marguerite)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534469j/f3.image

September 30, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter II, Part 3
La Marguerite nouvelle (The New Marguerite)
Chapter III, Part 1
Où pour la première fois, MM. Debienne et Poligny donnent, en secret, aux nouveaux directeurs de l’Opéra, MM. Armand Monchardin et Firmin Richard, la véritable et mystérieuse raison de leur départ de l’Académie nationale de musique
(Where for the First Time, Messrs Debienne and Poligny Secretly Give the New Managers of the Opera, Messrs Armand Monchardin and Firmin Richard, the True and Mysterious Reason for Their Departure from the National Academy of Music)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534471v/f3.image

October 1, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter III, Part 2
Où pour la première fois... (Where for the First Time...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344727/f3.image

October 2, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter III, Part 3
Où pour la première fois... (Where for the First Time...)
Chapter IV, Part 1
La loge n° 5 (Box 5)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534473m/f3.image

October 5, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter IV, Part 2
La loge n° 5 (Box 5)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534476r/f3.image

October 6, 1909 (Wednesday)
Chapter IV, Part 3
La loge n° 5 (Box 5)
Chapter V, Part 1
Suite de « la loge n° 5 » (Continuation of "Box 5")
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344774/f3.image

October 7, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter V, Part 2
Suite de « la loge n° 5 » (Continuation of "Box 5")
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534478h/f3.image

October 9, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter V, Part 3
Suite de « la loge n° 5 » (Continuation of "Box 5")
Chapter VI, Part 1
Le violon enchanté (The Enchanted Violin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534480t/f3.image

October 11, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter VI, Part 2
Le violon enchanté (The Enchanted Violin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534482k/f3.image

October 13, 1909 (Wednesday)
Chapter VI, Part 3
Le violon enchanté (The Enchanted Violin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534484b/f3.image

October 14, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter VI, Part 4
Le violon enchanté (The Enchanted Violin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534485q/f3.image

October 16, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter VI, Part 5
Le violon enchanté (The Enchanted Violin)
Chapter VII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter VIII in the Gaulois)
Une visite à la loge n° 5 (A Visit to Box 5)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534487g/f3.image

October 19, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter VII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter VIII in the Gaulois)
Une visite à la loge n° 5 (A Visit to Box 5)
Chapter VIII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter IX)
Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin ont l’audace de faire représenter « Faust » dans une salle « maudite » et de l’effroyable événement qui en résulta
(Where Messrs Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin Have the Audacity to Have "Faust" Performed in a "Cursed" Opera House and the Horrifying Event Which Thereby Ensued)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344905/f5.image

October 21, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter VIII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter IX)
Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin... (Where Messrs Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534492x/f3.image

October 22, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter VIII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter IX)
Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin... (Where Messrs Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344939/f3.image

October 24, 1909 (Sunday)
Chapter VIII, Part 4 (misprinted as chapter IX)
Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin... (Where Messrs Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344952/f3.image

October 26, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter VIII, Part 5 (misprinted as chapter IX)
Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin... (Where Messrs Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534497t/f5.image

October 27, 1909 (Wednesday)
Chapter IX, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter X)
Le mystérieux coupé (The Mysterious Carriage)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5344986/f3.image

October 28, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter IX, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter X)
Le mystérieux coupé (The Mysterious Carriage)
Chapter X, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XI)
Au bal masqué (At the Masquerade Ball)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534499k/f3.image

October 30, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter X, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XI)
Au bal masqué (At the Masquerade Ball)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534501r/f3.image

November 1, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter X, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XI)
Au bal masqué (At the Masquerade Ball)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534503h/f3.image

November 2, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter X, Part 4 (misprinted as chapter XI)
Au bal masqué (At the Masquerade Ball)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534504w/f3.image

November 3, 1909 (Wednesday)
Chapter XI, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XII)
L'enveloppe magique (The Magic Envelope) - This chapter does not appear in any other edition
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345058/f3.image

November 4, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XI, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XII)
L'enveloppe magique (The Magic Envelope) - This chapter does not appear in any other edition
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534506n/f5.image

November 5, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter XI, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XII)
L'enveloppe magique (The Magic Envelope) - This chapter does not appear in any other edition
Chapter XII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XIII)
Il faut oublier le nom de « la voix d’homme » (You Must Forget the Name of "the Man's Voice")
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345071/f3.image

November 7, 1909 (Sunday)
Chapter XII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XIII)
Il faut oublier le nom de « la voix d’homme » (You Must Forget the Name of "the Man's Voice")
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534509s/f3.image

November 9, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XIII)
Il faut oublier le nom de « la voix d’homme » (You Must Forget the Name of "the Man's Voice")
Chapter XIII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XIV)
Au-dessus des trappes (Above the Trapdoors)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345113/f5.image

November 11, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XIII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XIV)
Au-dessus des trappes (Above the Trapdoors)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534513v/f3.image

November 13, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter XIII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XIV)
Au-dessus des trappes (Above the Trapdoors)
Chapter XIV, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534515m/f3.image

November 15, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XIV, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534517c/f3.image

November 16, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XIV, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534518r/f4.image

November 18, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XIV, Part 4 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345202/f3.image

November 20, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter XIV, Part 5 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534522t/f3.image

November 22, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XIV, Part 6 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534524k/f3.image

November 23, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XIV, Part 7 (misprinted as chapter XV)
La lyre d'Apollon (Apollo's Lyre)
Chapter XV, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XVI)
Un coup de maître de l’amateur de trappes (A Masterstroke of the Trapdoor Lover)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534525z/f5.image

November 25, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XV, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XVI)
Un coup de maître de l’amateur de trappes (A Masterstroke of the Trapdoor Lover)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534527q/f3.image

November 27, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter XV, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XVI)
Un coup de maître de l’amateur de trappes (A Masterstroke of the Trapdoor Lover)
Chapter XVI, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XVII)
Singulière attitude d’une épingle de nourrice (The Strange Behavior of a Safety Pin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534529g/f3.image

November 29, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XVI, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XVII)
Singulière attitude d’une épingle de nourrice (The Strange Behavior of a Safety Pin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534531s/f3.image

November 30, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XVII (misprinted as chapter XVIII)
« Christine ! Christine ! » ("Christine! Christine!")
Chapter XVIII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XIX)
Révélations étonnantes de Mme Giry, relatives à ses relations personnelles avec le fantôme de l’Opéra
(Mme Giry's Astonishing Revelations, Regarding Her Personal Relationship with the Phantom of the Opera)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345325/f4.image

December 3, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter XVIII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XIX)
Révélations étonnantes de Mme Giry... (Mme Giry's Astonishing Revelations...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345359/f3.image

December 4, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter XVIII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XIX)
Révélations étonnantes de Mme Giry... (Mme Giry's Astonishing Revelations...)
Chapter XIX, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XX)
Suite de la curieuse attitude d’une épingle de nourrice (Continuation of the Odd Behavior of a Safety Pin)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534536p/f5.image

December 5, 1909 (Sunday)
Chapter XIX, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XX)
Suite de la curieuse attitude d’une épingle de nourrice (Continuation of the Odd Behavior of a Safety Pin)
Chapter XX, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXI)
Le commissaire de police, le vicomte et le Persan (The Commissary of Police, the Vicomte, and the Persian)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345372/f3.image

December 7, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XX, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXI)
Le commissaire de police, le vicomte et le Persan (The Commissary of Police, the Vicomte, and the Persian)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534539t/f4.image

December 9, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XX, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXI)
Le commissaire de police, le vicomte et le Persan (The Commissary of Police, the Vicomte, and the Persian)
Chapter XXI, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXII)
Le vicomte et le Persan (The Vicomte and the Persian)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345414/f3.image

December 10, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter XXI, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXII)
Le vicomte et le Persan (The Vicomte and the Persian)
Chapter XXII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXIII)
Dans les dessous de l’Opéra (In the Cellars of the Opera)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534542h/f4.image

December 13, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XXII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXIII)
Dans les dessous de l’Opéra (In the Cellars of the Opera)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534545n/f3.image

December 14, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XXII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXIII)
Dans les dessous de l’Opéra (In the Cellars of the Opera)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345461/f4.image

December 16, 1909 (Thursday)
Chapter XXII, Part 4 (misprinted as chapter XXIII)
Dans les dessous de l’Opéra (In the Cellars of the Opera)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534548s/f3.image

December 19, 1909 (Sunday)
Chapter XXII, Part 5 (misprinted as chapter XXIII)
Dans les dessous de l’Opéra (In the Cellars of the Opera)
Chapter XXIII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXIV)
Intéressantes et instructives tribulations d’un Persan dans les dessous de l’Opéra: Recit du Persan
(Interesting and Enlightening Tribulations of a Persian in the Cellars of the Opera: The Persian's Narrative)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534551g/f3.image

December 20, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XXIII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXIV)
Intéressantes et instructives tribulations... (Interesting and Enlightening Tribulations...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534552v/f3.image

December 21, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XXIII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXIV)
Intéressantes et instructives tribulations... (Interesting and Enlightening Tribulations...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345537/f4.image

December 24, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter XXIII, Part 4 (misprinted as chapter XXIV)
Intéressantes et instructives tribulations... (Interesting and Enlightening Tribulations...)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534556c/f5.image

December 25, 1909 (Saturday)
Chapter XXIII, Part 5 (misprinted as chapter XXIV)
Intéressantes et instructives tribulations... (Interesting and Enlightening Tribulations...)
Chapter XXIV, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXV)
Dans la chambre des supplices: Suite du récit du Persan
(Inside the Torture Chamber: Continuation of the Persian's Narrative)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534557r/f3.image

December 26, 1909 (Sunday)
Chapter XXIV, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXV)
Dans la chambre des supplices (Inside the Torture Chamber)
Chapter XXV, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXVI)
Les supplices commencent: Suite du récit du Persan
(The Torture Begins: Continuation of the Persian's Narrative)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345584/f3.image

December 27, 1909 (Monday)
Chapter XXV, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXVI)
Les supplices commencent (The Torture Begins)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534559h/f3.image

December 28, 1909 (Tuesday)
Chapter XXV, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXVI)
Les supplices commencent (The Torture Begins)
Chapter XXVI, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXVII)
« Tonneaux ! tonneaux ! avez-vous des tonneaux à vendre ? »: Suite du récit du Persan
("Barrels! Barrels! Have You Any Barrels to Sell?": Continuation of the Persian's Narrative)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534560f/f4.image

December 31, 1909 (Friday)
Chapter XXVI, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXVII)
« Tonneaux ! tonneaux ! » ("Barrels! Barrels!")
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534563k/f3.image

January 1, 1910 (Saturday)
Chapter XXVI, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXVII)
« Tonneaux ! tonneaux ! » ("Barrels! Barrels!")
Chapter XXVII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXVIII)
Faut-il tourner le scorpion ? Faut-il tourner la sauterelle ?: Fin du récit du Persan
(Shall You Turn the Scorpion? Or Shall You Turn the Grasshopper?: End of the Persian's Narrative)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534564z/f5.image

January 2, 1910 (Sunday)
Chapter XXVII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXVIII)
Faut-il tourner le scorpion ? Faut-il tourner la sauterelle ? (Scorpion / Grasshopper)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534565b/f3.image

January 3, 1910 (Monday)
Chapter XXVII, Part 3 (misprinted as chapter XXVIII)
Faut-il tourner le scorpion ? Faut-il tourner la sauterelle ? (Scorpion / Grasshopper)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534566q/f3.image

January 5, 1910 (Wednesday)
Chapter XXVIII, Part 1 (misprinted as chapter XXIX)
La fin des amours du fantôme (The End of the Phantom's Love Story)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534568g/f3.image

January 6, 1910 (Thursday)
Chapter XXVIII, Part 2 (misprinted as chapter XXIX)
La fin des amours du fantôme (The End of the Phantom's Love Story)
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534569v/f3.image

January 7, 1910 (Friday)
Epilogue, Part 1
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k534570s/f3.image

January 8, 1910 (Saturday)
Epilogue, Part 2
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5345715/f3.image

Oh Wow!!! This is some pretty phantastic stuff!
Merci beaucoup, FdelOpera, for posting this here! When I have some more free time, I'm going to look through all this.  

NightRachel wrote:Oh Wow!!! This is some pretty phantastic stuff!
Merci beaucoup, FdelOpera, for posting this here! When I have some more free time, I'm going to look through all this.  

De rien! I had seen an image of the Avant-Propos in the Gaulois before, so I knew that at least that had been archived, but I had no idea that the rest of the serialized version of Phantom had been preserved. Or that there was a missing chapter!

To be fair, in the final published novel of Phantom, Leroux summarizes the contents of “The Magic Envelope” very briefly at the beginning of the chapter, “Mme Giry’s Astonishing Revelations, Regarding Her Personal Relationship with the Phantom of the Opera.” However, this summary lacks the details and nuance that makes this original chapter so fun and fascinating. Like the Managers first trying to trick Erik with fake money, and Erik basically telling them, very funny, nice try, but give me real money next time, or else. Or Erik telling the Managers good luck going to the police, since the police will just laugh at them. Or Erik writing to the Managers about Christine needing to take a leave of absence due to health reasons. Or the thought of Erik reading a vampire story! LOL! There are lots of wonderful details that were lost when this chapter was removed from the published book.

So wow... Just wow... I've been reading the serialized version of Phantom of the Opera in Le Gaulois newspaper, and I am noticing some significant differences between this pre-first edition version and the version that we are all familiar with. Like the fact that Erik says that he took the name "Erik" to get closer to Christine, since she is Swedish.

Wait ... whaaaat??? Yes, in the Gaulois version of "Apollo's Lyre," this is what Christine says to Raoul about the origin of Erik's name:

"Il me répondit qu'il n'avait ni nom ni patrie, et qu'il avait pris le nom d'Erik pour se rapprocher de moi qui étais Suédoise."

Translation: "He replied that he had neither name nor country, and that he had taken the name of Erik to get closer to me since I am Swedish."

In the published novel, this line is changed to:

"Il me répondit qu’il n’avait ni nom, ni patrie, et qu’il avait pris le nom d’Erik par hasard."

Translation: "He replied that he had neither name, nor country, and that he had taken the name of Erik by chance."

Now, this is a bit of an anachronism, since if Erik had actually taken the name of Erik to get closer to Christine, the Persian would have known him by a different name. Unless of course in the original version, Erik is simply lying when he tells Christine that he changed his name because of her. Maybe he was intending for it to be something that would make her go, "Awwww," and didn't realize how creepy it sounded, lol!

Either way, it looks even more likely that Erik is not Erik's real name, and that Leroux never intended it to be. Whatever Erik's real name might be, only Gaston Leroux knows for sure, and he's not telling!

I love that you've discovered this little tidbit! It's very interesting and makes Erik just a bit more creepy and unhinged than we already knew he was! Interesting that Erik admits the reason he took the name was to get closer to Christine! Any normal dude would know not to admit his game to the girl you are stalking, but then...Erik is no normal dude.  

I bet that, just like ALW, Leroux never intended to tell Erik's real name in order to keep him mysterious.

To give credit where credit is due! One of my friends who I shared the Gaulois serialization with tipped me off about this. Then I read it late last night (or early this morning), and started freaking out! Getting to sleep was difficult, as you can imagine!

Another interesting tidbit is that in Leroux’s narrative, Christine Daaé was an "alias," too.

In 1925, Leroux wrote that she was "cette adorable enfant venue du Nord, dont j’ai caché la véritable nom sous celui de Christine Daaé"…

Translation: "that lovely child from the North, whose real name I have hidden beneath that of Christine Daaé"…

This quote is from my French copy of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, edited by Robert Laffont.

Leroux almost certainly got the name “Christine” from the Swedish opera singer, Kristina Nilsson, who in France often wrote her name as “Christine,” and he likely got Daaé from Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Wind Tells about Valdemar Daae and His Daughters” (“Vinden fortæller om Valdemar Daae og hans Døttre”).

I can't get over the fact that it took more than a year before this thread got any reactions!!! C'mon guys, this is really the horse's mouth, and no one saw it before???    

Thank you very much for the links to each chapter, FdelO, I hope they will encourage more people to look at the original text. The Real Original as in the First Published Version!!! and !  

I've tried reading this on the screen several times, but it's too tiresome. I'm a dinosaur who likes paper, will pull myself together and try to print out a legible copy of the text from the Gaulois.

Does anyone know whether anyone has translated the Gaulois version? Or is it the book version that is the source of all the translations today. Did de Ribière, for example, go back to the Gaulois at all?

ETA: the name Daaé is more Danish or Norwegian than Swedish, when last I checked there was only one family in Sweden with that surname. Anyone interested can read the story about Valdemar and his daughters here: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheWindTellsAboutValdemar_e.html but be warned, it's pretty bleak.

Jennie wrote:I can't get over the fact that it took more than a year before this thread got any reactions!!! C'mon guys, this is really the horse's mouth, and no one saw it before???    

Thank you very much for the links to each chapter, FdelO, I hope they will encourage more people to look at the original text. The Real Original as in the First Published Version!!! and !  

I've tried reading this on the screen several times, but it's too tiresome. I'm a dinosaur who likes paper, will pull myself together and try to print out a legible copy of the text from the Gaulois.

Does anyone know whether anyone has translated the Gaulois version? Or is it the book version that is the source of all the translations today. Did de Ribière, for example, go back to the Gaulois at all?

ETA: the name Daaé is more Danish or Norwegian than Swedish, when last I checked there was only one family in Sweden with that surname. Anyone interested can read the story about Valdemar and his daughters here: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheWindTellsAboutValdemar_e.html but be warned, it's pretty bleak.

The differences between the serialized Gaulois publication and the published novel do not even get a mention in Ribière's translation. However, recent translator David Coward does have a short segment on the differences between the Gaulois and the published novel in his translation. Coward mentions "L'enveloppe magique" ("The Magic Envelope"), and how it was removed and then summarized at the beginning of the "Mme Giry's Astonishing Revelations" chapter. But he doesn't discuss the contents of the chapter, which are quite wonderfully whimsical in the way that Leroux excels at.

Yes, Leroux was less than precise in his use of names and titles from other languages. For instance, "Daroga" is Hindi for "head of police" -- it is not a Persian word. So he may not have been overly concerned with the fact that Daaé was a Danish name, and not a Swedish one.

Jennie wrote:I can't get over the fact that it took more than a year before this thread got any reactions!!! C'mon guys, this is really the horse's mouth, and no one saw it before???    

I had actually seen this before - I found it a few years ago and it took me by complete surprise. I mentioned it briefly in that old radio show some fans used to run when I was interviewed. I rather liked the content of the missing chapter, including - if I recall correctly - an incident where the two managers dress up in disguise as per the Phantom's instructions, but each unbeknownst to the other, and go to Box 5, where each frightens the hell out of the other...this quite nicely foreshadowed a very similar scene in ALW's musical (just before 'Masquerade').

There's quite a few secrets within the serialisation and even before that, during the conception of the novel, that have yet to be uncovered. I found quite a few important things a few years ago when I took a trip to the Bibliothèque nationale de France specially for that purpose...but, thanks to lack of time, it was only earlier this year that I finally got round to compiling some of my findings. They'll be published soon.

Scorp wrote:I had actually seen this before - I found it a few years ago and it took me by complete surprise. I mentioned it briefly in that old radio show some fans used to run when I was interviewed. I rather liked the content of the missing chapter, including - if I recall correctly - an incident where the two managers dress up in disguise as per the Phantom's instructions, but each unbeknownst to the other, and go to Box 5, where each frightens the hell out of the other...this quite nicely foreshadowed a very similar scene in ALW's musical (just before 'Masquerade').

There's quite a few secrets within the serialisation and even before that, during the conception of the novel, that have yet to be uncovered. I found quite a few important things a few years ago when I took a trip to the Bibliothèque nationale de France specially for that purpose...but, thanks to lack of time, it was only earlier this year that I finally got round to compiling some of my findings. They'll be published soon.

I wonder if ALW and his people had access to Le Gaulois when they were writing Phantom, and if so, if they read "L'enveloppe magique"? I believe I remember reading in my Complete POTO by George Perry that they were aware of the publication's existence. The beginning of "Masquerade" with Andre and Firmin bumping into each other dressed in costume does seem eerily similar to the scene in that chapter with Richard and Moncharmin meeting each other in costume in Box 5.

Also, please let us know when you have published your findings, Scorp! I for one am dying to learn all that you have uncovered!

Scorp wrote:

Jennie wrote:I can't get over the fact that it took more than a year before this thread got any reactions!!! C'mon guys, this is really the horse's mouth, and no one saw it before???    

I had actually seen this before - I found it a few years ago and it took me by complete surprise. I mentioned it briefly in that old radio show some fans used to run when I was interviewed. I rather liked the content of the missing chapter, including - if I recall correctly - an incident where the two managers dress up in disguise as per the Phantom's instructions, but each unbeknownst to the other, and go to Box 5, where each frightens the hell out of the other...this quite nicely foreshadowed a very similar scene in ALW's musical (just before 'Masquerade').

There's quite a few secrets within the serialisation and even before that, during the conception of the novel, that have yet to be uncovered. I found quite a few important things a few years ago when I took a trip to the Bibliothèque nationale de France specially for that purpose...but, thanks to lack of time, it was only earlier this year that I finally got round to compiling some of my findings. They'll be published soon.

Scorp, when I ask in mock despair: "no one saw it before???" I meant this actual thread. I posted and publicized some in my opinion fantastic news (that you could read the original serial on-line!!! and !!  ) and no one even responded to it.  

I've been racking my brains to remember how it all started... I was looking through the BNF archives to find more contemporary accounts of the "chandelier accident" at this time, had been tipped off by someone, I think. I cannot remember who, will have to go back and check my notes. I'd hate to think I've missed giving credit where credit is due. I translated some of the "chandelier counterweight" articles, and at the same time searched for the publication of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. If anyone can help me remember, please speak up.

Please keep us updated with your findings!

FdelOpera wrote:

Jennie wrote:I can't get over the fact that it took more than a year before this thread got any reactions!!! C'mon guys, this is really the horse's mouth, and no one saw it before???    

Thank you very much for the links to each chapter, FdelO, I hope they will encourage more people to look at the original text. The Real Original as in the First Published Version!!! and !  

I've tried reading this on the screen several times, but it's too tiresome. I'm a dinosaur who likes paper, will pull myself together and try to print out a legible copy of the text from the Gaulois.

Does anyone know whether anyone has translated the Gaulois version? Or is it the book version that is the source of all the translations today. Did de Ribière, for example, go back to the Gaulois at all?

ETA: the name Daaé is more Danish or Norwegian than Swedish, when last I checked there was only one family in Sweden with that surname. Anyone interested can read the story about Valdemar and his daughters here: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheWindTellsAboutValdemar_e.html but be warned, it's pretty bleak.

The differences between the serialized Gaulois publication and the published novel do not even get a mention in Ribière's translation. However, recent translator David Coward does have a short segment on the differences between the Gaulois and the published novel in his translation. Coward mentions "L'enveloppe magique" ("The Magic Envelope"), and how it was removed and then summarized at the beginning of the "Mme Giry's Astonishing Revelations" chapter. But he doesn't discuss the contents of the chapter, which are quite wonderfully whimsical in the way that Leroux excels at.

Yes, Leroux was less than precise in his use of names and titles from other languages. For instance, "Daroga" is Hindi for "head of police" -- it is not a Persian word. So he may not have been overly concerned with the fact that Daaé was a Danish name, and not a Swedish one.

I find it surprizing that de Ribière hasn't mentioned The Original at all. Strange. Oversight or choice? I guess she didn't see it as her mission to bring everything into the light, research-wise, she was just doing a translation of a given text.

The upside of that, is that there is work for the person who wishes to undertake a more definitive and complete translation and commentary of the text....

In the late 19th and early 20th C, most people wouldn't have bothered to distinguish much between Norway/Denmark/Sweden, they were probably seen more as a Scandinavian entity. Norway and Sweden had shared the same monarch for a period. Historically, there have been ties between Denmark and Norway too. Norway was under Danish rule until about 1814. Between 1814 and 1905 there was a union between Norway and Sweden. I'm not very good at Swedish/Scandinavian history, but it's something along those lines. So I'm not surprized that Leroux writes vaguely and romantically about the Mysterious North without distinguishing between the countries, or tossing the odd name out into the pot he stirs.....

Jennie wrote:I find it surprizing that de Ribière hasn't mentioned The Original at all. Strange. Oversight or choice? I guess she didn't see it as her mission to bring everything into the light, research-wise, she was just doing a translation of a given text.

The upside of that, is that there is work for the person who wishes to undertake a more definitive and complete translation and commentary of the text

Once I finish translating Apollo's Lyre (I am making good progress), I will translate "The Magic Envelope." As far as I am aware, it will be the first English language translation of that chapter.

And when you do translate that chapter, FDelO, please feel free to do so both in the existing thread at phantomoftheopera.com and in a new one. Such a "world première" in English of an unknown chapter in the book merits a thread all of its own. It's going to be interesting to see how this chapter may change our perceptions of Erik, I'm looking forward to discussing it when it has become accessible to a wider public.

Hi All:

Thanks to Jennie, here is a PDF tutorial for how to print articles on the BnF website. If you would like to print a copy of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra in the Gaulois newspaper, this is the way to do it!

The PDF is hosted on Scribd.com, and you will need to sign up to download it. BUT signing up to Scribd takes less than a minute, and it is a pretty cool website for downloading PDFs and other files, so I highly recommend it!

Printing from the BnF website

I've printed out my downloaded files on A4 landscape paper - the print is small but legible. I'd guess it's six or eight points. Not ideal for reading, but easier for me at least than reading on the screen. A3 would be even better, but my printer doesn't "do" that size paper.