Delve into the fascinating history, production secrets, and enduring legacy of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage masterpiece with The Complete Phantom of the Opera by George Perry. This comprehensive companion volume covers the complete evolution of the story, from Gaston Leroux's original 1911 gothic novel to classic film adaptations and the development of the iconic musical.

Richly illustrated, this book features an assortment of behind-the-scenes photography, historical artwork, and the complete libretto of the show. It offers a definitive look at the creative team, cast members, and production design that brought the phantom to life on Broadway and London's West End.

Key Content Features:

The Complete Libretto: Includes the full script and song lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe.

Production Context: Detailed breakdowns of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical score, Maria Björnson's costume/production designs, and Harold Prince's staging.

Historical Timeline: Explores previous cinematic and theatrical versions of the Phantom legend, including Herbert Lom's 1962 portrayal and Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise.

Original Credits: Complete listings for the original cast, orchestra, and crew members.

CONDITION REPORT:

This copy is a pre-owned softcover in Acceptable to Good condition. It shows moderate external handling wear and a notable binding anomaly, but remains fully intact, clean, and completely readable:

Cover & Spine: The glossy paper covers show typical surface rubbing, light edge wear, and superficial scratches. The spine is uncreased, but exhibits noticeable shelf-rubbing and minor color loss along the vertical edges and at the spine tips (see photos).

Binding & Spine Gaps: The internal text block is securely bound. However, there are visible gaps or structural separations between section gatherings along the inner margin, exposing the binding threads (see photos). The pages remain firmly attached, but the spine sits slightly loose/pliable at the top edge when standing upright (see photos).

Interior Pages: The interior pages are mostly clean, crisp, and bright with excellent color reproduction. There is a single, small brown spot/foxing mark on the upper outer edge of the text block that faintly bleeds into the top margin of a few pages (see photos). The text and illustrations are entirely unaffected.

Copyright Details: Clean title and copyright pages identifying this copy as the First Owl Book Edition published in 1991 by Henry Holt and Company (see photos).