The Mystery of the Louvre by A Bernede HCDJ Readers Library Srs
- The Mystery of the Louvre by BERNEDE, Arthur. Photoplay edition issued to coincide with the British release of silent mystery film starring Elmire Vautier and Rene Navarre
This is the basis for the first part of the 4 part serial BELPHEGOR directed by Henri Desfontaines in 1927. Illustrated with 8 scenes from the Universal Production starring Elmir Vautier and Rene Navarre
Writer Arthur Bernède was a renowned playwright, journalist, screenwriter, and the author of numerous popular novels. His best-remembered creations are the mysterious avenger known as Judex (co-created with and for filmmaker Louis Feuillade who directed the first Fantômas serials), and the villainous Belphegor, the so-called "Ghost of the Louvre".
In 1919, Bernède joined forces with actor René Navarre (who had played Fantômas in the Feuillade serials) and writer Gaston Leroux (the creator of Rouletabille) to launch the Société des Cinéromans, a production company that would produce films and novels simultaneously. Belphegor (the name is a variation on the demon Baal-Phagor) was an attempt by Bernède to create a character to rival Fantômas, Judex, and the Phantom of the Opera
A ghostly presence is haunting the Louvre, seeking the Treasure of the Kings of France, hidden under the museum. The villains are unmasked by journalist Jacques Bellegarde and detective Chantecoq. Belphegor is revealed to be Bellegarde's mistress, Simone Desroches, who learned of the Treasure in a manuscript written by Catherine de Medici's astrologer, Ruggieri
Undated
Hardcover in dustjacket
Part of the Readers Library series The majority of the British Readers Library books seem to have been published in the 1927 to 1934 timeframe, with publishing starting around 1924 and ending around 1937.
The British version of the series was notable for often lurid and tantalizing dust jackets wrapped around poorly bound books printed on cheap paper. In all cases, the artwork spans the front, spine, and rear of the jacket (something seen in few other series). The series was published in England by the Readers Library Publishing Co