<Tr> <Th> Pages </Th> <Td> ~ 190 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 15698188 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux . It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909, to 8 January 1910 . It was published in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte . The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz . It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical . </P> <P> In Paris in the 1890s, the Palais Garnier opera house is believed to be haunted by an entity known as the Phantom or the Opera Ghost . A stagehand named Joseph Buquet is found hanged and the rope around his neck goes missing . At a gala performance for the retirement of the opera house's two managers, a young little - known Swedish soprano, Christine Daaé, is called upon to sing in the place of the Opera's leading soprano, Carlotta, who is ill, and her performance is an astonishing success . The Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, who was present at the performance, recognises her as his childhood playmate, and recalls his love for her . He attempts to visit her backstage, where he hears a man complimenting her from inside her dressing room . He investigates the room once Christine leaves, only to find it empty . </P>

What is the history of the phantom of the opera
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