250px, Cover for a French edition of ''Les Habits Noirs''. ''Les Habits Noirs'' is a

book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...

written over a thirty-year period, comprising eleven novels, created by

Paul Féval, père Paul Henri Corentin Féval, ''père'' (29 September 1816 - 8 March 1887) was a French novelist and dramatist. He was the author of popular swashbuckler novels such as '' Le Loup blanc'' (1843) and the perennial best-seller '' Le Bossu'' (1857). ...

, a 19th-century French

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

. By its methods, themes and characters, ''Les Habits Noirs'' is the precursor of today's conspiracy and organized

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

. Féval's heroes, from Gregory Temple, the first "detective" in modern detective fiction, to Remy d'Arx, the investigative magistrate, are also the first modern characters of their kind. In 1862, Féval founded the magazine ''Jean Diable'', named after his eponymous ''Habits Noirs'' novel, and

Émile Gaboriau Émile Gaboriau (9 November 183228 September 1873) was a French writer, novelist, journalist, and a pioneer of detective fiction. Early life Gaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime. He was the son of Charles Gabriel Gab ...

, future creator of the police detective

Monsieur Lecoq Monsieur Lecoq is the creation of Émile Gaboriau, a 19th-century French writer and journalist. Monsieur Lecoq is a fictional detective employed by the French Sûreté. The character is one of the pioneers of the genre and a major influence on ...

, a hero seemingly unrelated to the villainous Lecoq of the ''Habits Noirs'', was his assistant.

Novels

* ''Les Mystères de Londres'' (''Gentlemen of the Night'', serialized in '' Le Courrier Français'', 1843–44; rep. Comptoir des Imprimeurs Réunis, 1844) * ''Bel Demonio'' (serial. in ''Le Pays'', 1850; rep. Permain, 1850) * ''Les Compagnons du Silence'' he Companions of Silence(serialized in ''Le Journal Pour Tous'', 1857; rep. Cadot, 1857) * ''Jean Diable'' (''John Devil'', serialized in ''Le Siècle'', 1862; rep. Dentu, 1863) * ''Les Habits Noirs '' (''The Black Coats: The Parisian Jungle'', serial. in ''Le Constitutionnel'', 1863; rep. Hachette, 1863) *'' Cœur d'Acier'' eart of Steel(serial. in ''Le Constitutionnel'', 1865; rep. Hachette, 1865) * ''L'Avaleur de Sabre'' he Sword Swallower(serial. in ''L'Époque'', 1867; rep. Dentu, 1867) * ''La Rue de Jerusalem'' erusalem Street(''The Black Coats: Salem Street'', serial. in ''Le Constitutionnel'', 1867–68; rep. Dentu, 1868) *'' L'Arme Invisible '' he Invisible Weapon(''The Black Coats: The Invisible Weapon'', serial. in ''Le National'', 1869; rep. Dentu, 1869–70) * ''Les Compagnons du Trésor'' he Companions of the Treasure(''The Black Coats: The Companions of the Treasure'', serial. in ''Le National'', 1870, then after the war 1871-72; rep. Dentu, 1872) * ''La Bande Cadet'' he Cadet Gang(''The Black Coats: The Cadet Gang'', serial. in ''L'Evènement'', 1874–75; rep. Dentu, 1875)

Cinema

''Les Habits Noirs'' (1914), Pathé silent feature directed by Daniel Riche

Television

A O.R.T.F. french TV adaptation was made in 1967, "Les Habits Noirs".

External links

Les Habits Noirs, by Paul Féval, in its entirety (eight volumes), on the site of the Quebec electronic library. Book series introduced in 1843
Crime novel series French crime novels 19th-century French novels French novels adapted into films Fictional organized crime groups {{19thC-novel-stub