The Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief

by Maurice Leblanc, Emma Bielecki (Introduction)

Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. This edition of The Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief is translated from the French by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos and features an introduction by Emma Bielecki.

The inspiration for the hit Netflix show, Lupin, Arsène Lupin is charming, clever and bold. A master of disguise, he steals from the rich, he outsmarts the police and he’s generous to those in need. And above all, he never takes himself too seriously. This French Robin Hood has charmed readers for generations and the stories about his dazzling escapades have been adapted countless times for television, stage and film.

In the opening stories, Lupin is arrested, only to engineer his own incredible escape. What follows are wonderfully entertaining and action packed stories that finish with a brief encounter with none other than Sherlock Holmes. These stories were first published together in 1907 and this edition of the gentleman thief's very first adventures is the perfect place to start exploring his world of daring escapes, cunning disguises and ambitious heists.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Historical, Historical Fiction, Crime

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 11, 2022

About the author

Maurice Leblanc (1864 - 1941) was a French novelist, best known as the creator of gentleman thief (later detective) Arsène Lupin.

Leblanc began as a journalist, until he was asked to write a short story filler, and created, more gallant and dashing than English counterpart Sherlock Holmes.

Reviews

[Miba]

Not going to lie: breaking in and not stealing anything, and then leaving a note saying you'll be back when his collection is genuine? Power move.

[Laura Rogers]

I have enjoyed Netflix's modern adaptation of Leblanc's gentleman thief, Lupin, and I also enjoyed the book. Although on opposite sides of the law, Lupin's personality reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and if you enjoy the latter then I feel sure that you will find Arsene Lupin, Gentlemen Thief entertaining. I look forward to reading more of Lupin's adventures. I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

[Chantal]

I am a little dissapointed in the book, I was hoping more and also a more fluent story. The tv series was way better. Still this is a person that could only exist in fiction. And it was fun to read how he plays everything off.

[Isabell]

dnf 54%

[Rachel]

What fun! Sort of a precursor to The Saint books by Leslie Charteris, in a way.

Of the nine short stories in this collection, my top favorites were:

"The Seven of Hearts," in which Lupin not only executes a daring burglary, but solves an old crime.

"The Escape of Arsène Lupin" because I always enjoy prison-escape stories.

"Holmlock Shears Arrives Too Late" because it was really funny, and didn't so much poke fun at Sherlock Holmes as play with his character like this was a fanfic story (which it basically is).

[Liz]

Very twee but enjoyable. I personally liked the tv series better I thought it was really well adapted

3 stars

[Luis]

Verdadero caballero y magnífico ladrón. Muy disfrutable.

[Melissa]

I never heard of these classic stories until I watched the popular Netflix show, Lupin, and so I was intrigued to give them a try. I quite enjoyed these short stories. Clever, easy to read and fun. A mix of Robin Hood meets Sherlock Holmes.

[Ciaran]

It's genius. That simple. Well worth it, and a pocket sized edition too.

[Samantha Anderson]

3.5 - I really can’t decide if this book deserves more. It is entertaining but it doesn’t provide the same deep satisfaction you get reading Sherlock Holmes. This is because there is no justice.

Some of the stories were slow paced and boring. In fact, I would get halfway through and have to recall what was even happening. Others were fantastic and riveting, especially when they contained Arsene Lupin’s back story.

I don’t think I appreciate Maurice LeBlanc writing Sherlock Holmes. He cannot do him justice because he is not his creator.

Still, these stories are fun! I don’t regret reading them.

[Miguel Sánchez]

La verdad es que no sabía muy bien en que me estaba metiendo cuando empecé este libro, es decir, si sabía quien era Lupin, pero no sabía nada acerca de la estructura que tendrían las historias. Diría que la mejor aproximación sería que es como leer Sherlock Holmes o del estilo, pero en lugar del misterio de un asesinato, es el misterio de un robo. Lo cual hace que a veces las formas sean tan extravagantes y surrealistas que te pierdas un poco, pero tampoco es exagerado, por lo que se dejan leer y son bastante entretenidas.

[David]

A quaint translation of a French novel written in 1905, this is a fun read and an exciting main character. The recent streaming series is what compelled me to read it. I enjoyed the series, and I’m glad to have found that the source material is imaginative and engaging.

[Sarah]

52 Book Club 2025: In the public domain

I knew it wouldn't be like the French series on Netflix, and the narrator of the audiobook edition that I listened to may have been part of the problem, but I just couldn't get into these stories.

[IHateVott]

one of my all time favorite literary experiences. Each chapter is its own self contained mystery and Lupin's charisma, creativity, and ironic sense shown through.

I sincerely recommend this to any fan of comedy, mystery, or who done it media.

[Gijs]

arrogante kwal die vent

[Alan]

Rating for individual stories between 3 & 4
Overall rating 3

Enjoyable collection of short stories.
None of them were outstanding for me but neither were any terrible.
A solid collection overall

[Mylada]

Oh man, that was such a cliffhanger. What happened to Underdown? What was Lupin planning for Shears?

This book can't fool me to think there's no Sherlock slipping around.

[Cassidy Kinman]

I was interested in reading Arsene Lupin after watching a few episode of the Lupin Tv show.
The telling of each heist/mystery was good but not my cup of tea overall.

[Thomas]

No idea how Lupin had children (and grandchildren) given how gay he is

[Tyler Dowdell]

I have been meaning to read the Lupin novels since I fell in love with the anime Lupin III when it aired on adult swim. Years passed and I completely forgot about the book series that was the inspiration for the show. But then I happened across this book at Clevo Books and was thrilled to finally have my hands on this treasure of a book.

This entry in the Lupin series is a collection of connected short stories. I enjoyed almost all of the stories, a few were a little slow and not as exciting as others. But that is to be expected with any collection of short stories. Overall I enjoyed the book and must admit to being swept up in Lupin’s exploits and can see how the character became a part of pop culture.

[Sapphire Detective]

This was a fantastic little collection. Even if it took me longer than anticipated to actually read it, I still can say I thoroughly enjoyed every story in here. Not all of them were great or top-notch, but they were all incredibly enjoyable and far from being bad. If you, like I, had become familiar with the character through more modern media, like Lupin III, Netflix's Lupin, or Persona 5, this is definitely a must-check out. I fully intend to read more if I'm able to, though the library system by me only has this, it seems. Fortunately, a good number of the stories are already in the public domain, so I can read them that way, I hope.

The Arrest of Arsene Lupin - 3.5/5
Arsene Lupin in Prison - 5/5
The Escape of Arsene Lupin - 4/5
The Mysterious Traveller - 4/5
The Queen's Necklace - 3/5
Seven of Hearts - 4/5
The Safe of Madame Imbert - 3/5
The Black Pearl - 3.5/5
Sherlock Holmes/Holmlock Shears Arrives Too Late - 4/5

Overall rating: 3.8/5 (rounded up)
Favorite Story: Arsene Lupin in Prison
Least Favorite Story: The Queen's Necklace/The Safe of Madame Imbert
Would I own it?/re-read it?: Yeah probably. Definitely for re-reading, at least my favorites.
TW: Kidnapping, Prison, Gaslighting (minor)
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed in any of these heists.

[Jacob Williams]

My actions constitute my identity sufficiently. … It is all the better if people are never able to say with certainty, 'There goes Arsène Lupin.' The great thing is that they should say, without fear of being mistaken, 'That action was performed by Arsène Lupin.'[1]

This won my purchase mostly by its physical qualities: I came across a charming pocket-sized edition while I was looking for a book to take on a plane. The stories themselves are charming as well, but not particularly remarkable by modern standards.

Interesting trivia that the introduction calls attention to: for a while, 19th-century French police departments used a very low-tech biometric system called bertillonnage[2] (mentioned in passing in one of the stories).

[1] Maurice Leblanc, The Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief (S.l.: Macmillan Collector’s Library, 2021), 19.

[2] “Bertillonnage,” in Wikipédia, August 30, 2023, https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bertillonnage&oldid=207396736.

(crosspost)

[Ellen]

Wow! Astounding! The capers of the Gentleman Thief were entrancing. I absolutely loved this series of tales of Arsène Lupin. I can definitely see how they inspired the Netflix series and that the creators of that series did such a good job. But they were working with excellent material to begin with. Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes (or should I say Holmlock Shears), the stories of Lupin are intriguing, mysterious, and captivating. I especially liked the reveals of Lupin throughout the stories! It was surprising and entertaining and often unexpected. I can see why this is an instant classic and I can't wait to read more!

[Ben Williams]

Excellent! Thrilling! I loved every word and savored the well-spun tales.

[Mhmmm]

For me personally this book was quite confusing because the narrator kept changing, but the story itself had a lot exciting parts. While I was reading sometimes it was quite confusing.

[Mark]

The Anti-Sherlock Holmes.

[Apostu Gabriel]

Arsene Lupin is a great character and his schemes are incredible.

[Hessel]

Beter gewoon de Netflix-serie kijken, eigenlijk zijn alleen het eerste en laatste verhaal uit deze bundel leuk.

[Caren]

3.5 stars

[Valeria]

<3