Customer Reviews

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These stories are forgotten classics-- in terms of truly excellent mystery stories, they rank right up there with the best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Arsene Lupin is no common pilferer-- he's a gentleman thief of the highest regard, and virtually a celebrity throughout France. He is constantly being pursued by Inspector Ganimard, his only worthy adversary, yet is never caught-- and while Lupin may be an unscrupulous, good-humored bandit on the surface, his larcenous actions end up aiding the common good as often as not. Lupin is something of a folk hero in France, having recently spawned an excellent animated cartoon series entitled "Nighthood"-- hopefully, in light of that, these wonderful old stories will be rediscovered.

Arsene Lupin is now a classic; he is as famous as Napoleon, Cyrano de Bergerac or Gavroche. He embodies the utopic fighter of the industrial era, stealing from the rich, solving mysteries for the promise of a smile, playing with words & women. His remarks are always polite to women and vitriolic to the police that pursue him. Never vilent, he manages to escape all dangers with a smile. An absolute must read; he will make you dream and want to be a better person. This book is the perfect exemple of these attributes.

After reading the whole series in both Chinese and French, I pity the English readers who miss out on the Arsene Lupin series. This series is rated in Europe/Asia at the level of the Sherlock Holmes series. If you can find a copy, read it. It is simply excellent for any hardcore mystery fan.

After 7 years of searching for it, I have finally been favored with the story of Arsene Lupin; which is the basis for the popular Japanese series about Lupin's grandson, Lupin III.

Arsene Lupin is a charming burgular who pulls of grand thefts, and other feats, leaving not a single "clew"; much to many a policeman's regret. He is cunning, clever, witty and a gentleman in every way (except for being a thief I suppose).

Maurice LeBlanc's character Arsene Lupin ranks very high; right up there with Pirot and Sherlock Holmes.

In my opinion this is an excellent book that has unfortunately slipped into 'out of print' status and should be revived.

If you can get a copy of this book, I highly recommend it. Also, I hope other books by Maurice LeBlanc become available again soon

I really enjoyed reading about Arsene Lupin (thanks Head Butler!) - a great character involved in some funny and/or exciting escapades. Despite my enjoyment, however, I contemplated giving this particular book three stars instead of four. My main reservation about this edition (ISBN 1-4065-0001-1) is the poor proof-reading job done by the Dodo Press - often there are words with letters omitted and, in more than one instance, whole paragraphs are repeated before the story continues. Other than the disappointing editing job, however, I highly recommend getting acquainted with Arsene Lupin and this is why I ultimately decided on a four star rating.

Published in 1907, Maurice leBlanc's book introduces Arsene Lupin, the gentleman burglar: thief of exquisite country houses; master of disguise; friend to the royal and rich; a man of impeccable taste who will only snatch items of 'artistic value', and from those who can afford it. His wit, style and daring make him the unquestioned hero of the book, easily out-dazzling his two detective rivals, the plodding Ganimard and the brilliant logician Herlock Sholmes. Safes, secret passages, jewels, high windows, impenetrable castles, 'impossible' prison breakouts, sensational coutroom dramas, romances on luxury cruises, nocturnal murders, chases through forests and empty streets - so many crimes and incidents and personae proliferate, Lupin seems to become omnipotent.

Although these nine loosely-connected mysteries are pure fantasy, their detail and context open out the Belle Epoque milieu in which they are set. One of the major themes is that the 'respectable' bourgoisie Lupin robs are often as dishonest and even criminal as he, indulging in the illegal speculations/swindles rife at the time or organising elaborate charades to conceal financial decline. The invidiousness of social inequality is a factor in Lupin's psychological make-up. The antiquity of French history and national character is in conflict with the disruption of modernity (telephones, photographs, automobiles etc.). The vulnerability of the bourgeoisie contrasts with a democratising popular press avidly chronicling Lupin's every move, making him 'our national thief'.

I don't want to get too solemn, such is the breezy pleasure of this book, but I believe 'Lupin' is more than simply an engaging riposte to Sherlock Holmes; Lupin is more than someone who pilfers from the rich. Whereas most crime literature seeks to re-order a violated society through a central, reliable, narrational consciousness embodied in the figure of the detective, 'Lupin' disrupts order at every opportunity. Lupin's facility with disguise is matched by his disruptions of the text, which changes narrator and point-of-view without warning, Lupin himself often betraying the reader's trust by assuming the first-person on false pretences. With wit, playfulness and a light touch, leBlanc undermines our certainties as readers, just as Lupin does his victims, filling each tale with alternative narratives, jarring tones, shifting modes, unfulfilled expectations. Lupin is always taking his bow, leaving the stage and slipping away, as terrified by his own lack of a recognisable identity as he terrifies everyone else. For omnipotence and fame come at a price - existential dread and sexual impotence: the penetration of homes and homosocial company must substitute for failed relationships with women.

I really enjoyed the Book itself, but as for the multiple spelling errors, typos and repeating paragraphs, the book was terrible! Also,top line of each page was trimmed off, leaving me to guess half the time what the words said. So overall, my experience with this version of the book from "bibliobizarre" was very poor. I recommend looking for the same book from a different publishing co. Maurice LeBlanc would be ashamed of this sorry excuse for a book!!

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin is the save book as The Exploits of Arsene Lulpin! The only difference is the very clumsy language and formatting of the former. I ordered both books together as was suggested and am going to return The Extraordinary Adventures.

Arsene Lupin --- you know him not, but to generations of European readers he was the French Sherlock Holmes. Well, better than the Brit detective. Holmes was on the side of the law, a stodgy enterprise. But Lupin was a burglar. A gentleman burglar. A burglar with wit and style. It was a thrill to watch him work.

And, indeed, you could watch him work, for Lupin liked to announce his crimes in advance, the better to turn theft into sports. In the most famous of the Arsene Lupin stories, he breaks into a Baron's residence, takes nothing, but leaves a card for his unwitting host: "Arsene Lupin, gentleman burglar, will return when the furniture is genuine."

And how about this note, to a Baron so paranoid that he has had his chateau sealed, so that no one but staff may enter:

"There is, in the gallery in your castle, a picture of Philippe de Champaigne, of exquisite finish, which pleases me beyond measure. Your Rubens are also to my taste, as well as your smallest Watteau. In the salon to the right, I have noticed the Louis XIII cadence-table, the tapestries of Beauvais, the Empire gueridon signed `Jacob,' and the Renaissance chest. In the salon to the left, all the cabinet full of jewels and miniatures.

"For the present, I will content myself with those articles that can be conveniently removed. I will therefore ask you to pack them carefully and ship them to me, charges prepaid, to the station at Batignolles, within eight days, otherwise I shall be obliged to remove them myself during the night of 27 September; but, under those circumstances, I shall not content myself with the articles above mentioned.

"Accept my apologies for any inconvenience I may cause you, and believe me to be your humble servant, "Arsene Lupin."

P.S. Please do not send the largest Watteau. Although you paid thirty thousand francs for it, it is only a copy, the original having been burned, under the Directoire by Barras, during a night of debauchery. Consult the memoirs of Garat. And I do not care for the Louis XV chatelaine, as I doubt its authenticity."

There's something delicious about a man who commits non-violent crimes with panache --- it's almost as if he's liberating the art and furniture, rescuing them from nobles who take pleasure only in owning them. The French thought so, anyway: Starting in 1906, Maurice LeBlanc pounded out twenty volumes of stories about Lupin, all in the neat, near-non-fiction style of de Maupassant and Flaubert. (Inevitably, Lupin would comfront Sherloick Holmes. Guess who won?) Later, there were plays, movies, even comics. And the character has been easy to update --- on television, Lupin morphed into "The Saint."

Lupin is at once a 19th century figure and a modern rogue: "Why should I retain a definite form and feature? Why not avoid the danger of a personality that is ever the same? My actions will serve to identify me." All he cares about is his art. It gives him pleasure to commit a crime even while locked in a jail cell. And because disguise and indirection are his greatest skills, it thrills him to announce, with all candor, "I shall not be present at my trial --- Arsene Lupin remains in prison just as long as it pleases him, and not one minute more."

It is great fun to try and outguess Lupin. But why not dress the part while you savor these tales? A smoking jacket or a silk robe. A brandy. Chopin. After a while, Lupin's cracked morality starts to make a great deal of sense, and your mind drifts. By the third or fourth story, you'll be contemplating a jewel theft. And why not? Mrs. X doesn't really appreciate that necklace. And it is insured.

-

As noted by other reviewers, this volume is replete with typos, repeated paragraphs, etc., plus the formatting is awkward. The translation into English is poor -- certainly the French prose had to be more pleasing. Many lengthy sessions of dialog with no segues were difficult to follow. Nevertheless, the stories were fascinating -- they deserved better treatment by Dodo Press.