Jules Lermina
Jules Lermina (1839–1915) was a French writer. He began his career as a journalist in 1859. He was arrested for his socialist political opinions, and received Victor Hugo's support. He published a number of Edgar Allan Poe-inspired collections, "Histoires Incroyables" [Incredible Tales] (1885), "Nouvelles Histoires Incroyables" [New Incredible Tales] (1888) and a short novel, "L'Élixir de Vie" [The Elixir of Life] (1890) (translated by Brian Stableford and included in "Panic in Paris"). "Le Secret des Zippelius" [The Secret of the Zippelius] (1893) (translated by Brian Stableford as "The Secret of Zippelius" (2011) ) featured the controlled disintegration  of water. His two-volume "La Bataille de Strasbourg" [The Battle of Strasbourg] (1895) was one of the first novels on the theme of the yellow peril. In "L'Effrayante Aventure" [Panic in Paris] (1910) (translated by Brian Stableford, ), Lermina used Bulwer-Lytton's vril-force to create a vril-powered flying machine. The novel also features the resurrection of prehistoric creatures frozen in ice in caverns under Paris. "Mystère-Ville" (1905) (translated by Brian Stableford as "Mysteryville", ), written under the pseudonym of William Cobb, and illustrated by Albert Robida, was about Protestants who had fled France and created a secret , futuristic city in a hidden Chinese valley. Lermina also penned a proto-Tarzan novel, "To-Ho le Tueur d'Or" (1905) (translated by Georges T. Dodds as "To-Ho and the Gold Destroyers" , two sequels to the popular classic "The Count of Monte-Cristo": "Le Fils de Monte-Cristo" (1881) (that in English was divided in two books: The Wife of Monte Cristo and The Son of Monte Cristo), and "Le Trésor de Monte-Cristo" [The Treasure of Monte-Cristo] (1885); and "Les Mystères de New York" [The Mysteries of New York] (1874), also written under the pseudonym of William Cobb . He also created the indomitable Toto Fouinard, whose adventures were serialized in 1908–09.