Missing Men — Leroux Cheri-Bibi, Macaulay 1923

📖 Missing Men: The Return of Chéri-Bibi by Gaston Leroux (1923, The Macaulay Company) — the first American edition of Leroux’s second Chéri-Bibi novel, translated from the French Chéri-Bibi et Cécily (1916). This copy is in Good/Good+ condition with sound binding and clean text block.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Gaston Leroux (1868–1927), French journalist and author of The Phantom of the Opera
• Publisher: The Macaulay Company, New York
• Year: 1923 (First American Edition, First Printing)
• Format: Hardcover, grey cloth boards, no dust jacket
• Pages: ~314 | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Good (G)/Good+ (G+) — full report below

THE STORY

Chéri-Bibi is Leroux’s second great series character — an innocent man sentenced to Devil’s Island who escapes and becomes a vigilante operating in the shadows of Parisian society. In Missing Men, Chéri-Bibi navigates a web of hidden identities, family secrets, and dangerous confrontations as he tries to protect those he loves. The novel blends crime fiction, adventure thriller, and melodrama — hallmarks of Leroux’s storytelling that made him one of France’s most popular early-twentieth-century authors.

The novel was originally serialized in French as Chéri-Bibi et Cécily (1916) and published in England under that title. This 1923 Macaulay edition marks its first appearance in the American market, appearing four years after the English-language UK edition. It is listed in Hubin’s Bibliography of Crime Fiction, the standard reference for the genre.

THIS EDITION

First American Edition, First Printing. Published by The Macaulay Company, New York, 1923. The title page credits a frontispiece illustration by George W. Gage. Copyright page states: “Published in England under the title of Chéri-Bibi and Cecily” and “Printed in the United States of America.” Listed in Hubin’s Bibliography of Crime Fiction. The Macaulay Company was a New York publisher active in the 1920s, known for publishing genre fiction and popular novels of the era.

COVER ART / DESIGN

The binding features grey cloth boards with the title “MISSING MEN” stamped in a distinctive typeface where each letter is formed from interconnected bone shapes — a striking design choice that evokes the novel’s themes of death and disappearance. “GASTON LEROUX” appears in standard serif type at the base of the front cover. The spine carries matching title and author text with the Macaulay imprint at the foot. No dust jacket is present.

CONDITION REPORT

• Overall Grade: Good (G)/Good+ (G+)
• Cover & Spine: Grey cloth boards with dark stamped lettering and bone-lettering artwork. Wear and rubbing along edges, corners, and spine ends, with mild fading to cloth tone. Cloth wraps show overall wear and dulling. A small reddish-brown stain is visible on the front cover.
• Text Block & Pages: Age-toned text block uniform throughout, typical for wood-pulp paper stock of the 1920s. Some light foxing visible on early pages. Pages remain clean and readable.
• Binding: Binding is sound and square; hinges remain intact.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• I. Cod in the Spanish Way (p. 9)
• II. Cecily (p. 55)
• III. A Nice Gentleman (p. 79)
• IV. Chéri-Bibi’s Duel (p. 108)
• V. In Which There Is a Touch of the Sub-Lime (p. 143)
• VI. The Honeymoon (p. 164)
• VII. Chéri-Bibi Enjoys a Fleeting Happiness (p. 176)
• VIII. Chéri-Bibi at the Bedside of His Mother, the Marchioness (p. 182)
• IX. A Passing Shadow (p. 187)
• X. A Family Lunch
• XI. Chéri-Bibi Sets to Work Again
• XII. Battle
• XIII. More Shocks
• XIV. One More Effort
• XV. Rose Des
• XVI. Fatalitas (p. 290)

WHY IT MATTERS

• Leroux’s Chéri-Bibi series (1913–1925) is a landmark of French crime fiction, predating the hardboiled tradition and influencing later thriller writers
• First American edition of the second Chéri-Bibi novel, published seven years after the original French serialization
• Listed in Hubin’s Bibliography of Crime Fiction, the authoritative reference for crime fiction collectors
• The distinctive bone-lettering cover design is characteristic of 1920s Macaulay Company trade bindings

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First American Edition, First Printing, published by The Macaulay Company, New York, 1923.

What condition is it in? Good (G)/Good+ (G+) — sound binding, clean text block with age toning, some edge wear to cloth. Full report above.

Is the dust jacket included? No dust jacket is present.

FOR COLLECTORS

This first American edition fills an important gap in the Chéri-Bibi series’ English-language publication history. The Macaulay Company’s 1923 edition predates the more commonly encountered UK editions and is listed in Hubin — making it a solid reference-point copy for collectors of Leroux or early crime fiction.

Condition Report:

Overall Grade: Good (G)/Good+ (G+)

Cover & Spine: Grey cloth boards with dark stamped lettering and bone-lettering artwork. Wear and rubbing along edges, corners, and spine ends, with mild fading to cloth tone. Cloth wraps show overall wear and dulling.

Text Block & Pages: Age-toned text block uniform throughout, typical for wood-pulp paper stock of the 1920s. Pages remain clean and readable.

Binding: Binding is sound and square; hinges remain intact.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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