Me and the Phantom

The first time I ever saw or read anything about “Phantom of the Opera” was when I bought my first issue of “Famous Monsters Magazine” when I was around 7! It changed my life! I learned a lot because the Editor, Forest J. Ackerman, was a very intellectual and cultured man who loved the classic horror films and introduced its readers to the literature behind it as well.
The first book I ever sent away for was “Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux. I was about 10 and I’d seen an ad for it somewhere and my Dad wrote me a check.
That was just the beginning of a loooong relationship!