The Almaktaba Aladabieh Albums (المكتبة الأدبية) were a comic series published by Almaktaba Aladabieh in the 1980s. The series contains a total of eight albums, representing a key moment in the Middle Eastern comic market, bridging the gap between traditional literary publishing and the rising popularity of Western pulp heroes and adventure strips.
Almaktaba Aladabieh, also known as Al-Matba’a al-Adabiyya or “The Literary Press”, was a pioneering Lebanese publishing house and printing establishment founded in Beirut during the late 19th century. Established in 1875 by Khalil Sarkis, a central figure in the Arabic literary renaissance known as the Nahda, the press quickly became one of the most technologically advanced and prolific enterprises in the region. Beyond its reputation for technical excellence in letter casting and printing services, the house served as a vital intellectual hub, launching the influential newspaper Lisan al-Hal in 1877, which remained a staple of Lebanese journalism for a century.
In addition to its role in serious political and literary discourse, Almaktaba Aladabieh is notable for its contributions to the popularization of modern entertainment and fiction in the Middle East. It operated a significant bookshop that distributed hundreds of titles, ranging from essential Arabic lexicons and grammars to translated works and recreational stories. This diverse output reflected the shift in the Arab book trade toward a mass readership, positioning Beirut alongside Cairo as a primary capital for publishing and intellectual exchange throughout the 20th century.
The publisher also holds a specific place in the history of localized pop culture within Lebanon, particularly through its involvement in the distribution of illustrated fiction and comics. It was responsible for publishing “Almaktaba Aladabieh Albums”, which featured iconic international characters like The Phantom, bringing these Western pulp heroes to a Lebanese audience. By integrating such global icons into the local market alongside traditional literary works, the house helped shape the multi-faceted media landscape that characterized Beirut’s unique cultural singularity during its most liberal publishing eras.
While the publisher was well-established in Beirut, Lebanon this specific venture focused on translating and repackaging international adventure comics for a regional audience. Unlike many serialized comic books of the time, these were produced as higher-quality album-style comic book, often featuring a mix of characters within a single volume or focusing on specific grand adventures.
The content of the albums featured a classic lineup of King Features Syndicate characters. While the specific stories were often sourced from European editions, particularly the Italian Fratelli Spada versions, they introduced Lebanese readers to icons such as:
- The Phantom: A central figure in the series, appearing in multiple adventures.
- Mandrake the Magician: Featured in one primary story, Albahth an Alkenz (The Search for Treasure), and appearing on the cover of Alamtar Almohlika (The Deadly Rain).
- Flash Gordon: Included as a secondary feature in several volumes.
- Tarzan: Although Almaktaba Aladabieh produced a separate series of 23 standalone Tarzan issues, the character’s popularity frequently intersected with the era’s adventure album format.
The Almaktaba Aladabieh Album series are a smaller-format comic containing a heavy-stock paper cover with approximately 50 black and white pages with Arabic text. The Phantom comic strip was published within four editions, and appeared on three of these front covers. All eight editions in the series can be seen below.
Each of the eight editions contain a unique title in Arabic on the top header of the front cover. These titles are:
- Ashish Comics – The Kingdom of Rains (الأمطَارِ المملكَة – عاشش الكوميكس)
- Moris Castle – (قلعَة مُوريس) – Phantom comic strip story published within.
- A Dangerous Journey (رحلة خطِرَة)
- The Quest for the Treasure (البَحَث عَن الكنْر) – Phantom comic strip story published within.
- The Pirate (القرصان) – Phantom comic strip story published within.
- An Adventure in Kung Fu (مغامرة في الكونفو)
- Banfa (بانفَا)
- The Return of Ystratgool (.عودَة يستراتغول) – Phantom comic strip story published within.
A sample of internal pages can be seen below.
thephantom.fan 