Created by Maurice LeBlanc during the early twentieth century, "Arsene Lupin Vs. Herlock Sholmes" is a witty confidence man and burglar, the Sherlock Holmes of crime. The poor and innocent have nothing to fear from him; often they profit from his spontaneous generosity. The rich and powerful, and the detective who tries to spoil his fun, however, must beware. They are the target of Ars�ne Lupin's mischief and tomfoolery. A masterful thief, his plans frequently evolve into elaborate capers, a precursor to such cinematic creations as "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Sting" or books such as "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Sparkling with amusing banter, "Arsene Lupin Vs. Herlock Sholmes" -the best of the Lupin series-are outrageous, melodramatic, and literate. Ars�ne Lupin is definitely more dashing than Sherlock Holmes, and the Maurice LeBlanc stories are more psychologically or "humanly" involved. Arsene Lupin is everything you would expect from a French aristocrat -- witty, charming, brilliant, sly . . . and possibly the greatest thief in the world. In this classic tale, Lupin comes up against the only man who may be able to stop him . . . no less than the great British gentleman-detective Herlock Sholmes (a semi-parody on Sherlock Holmes, of course)! "Arsene Lupin Vs. Herlock Sholmes" is one of France's most famous fictional stories, with Lupin as sort of an anti-hero who uses his brains and charm to escape from any situation the police may put him in. "Arsene Lupin Vs. Herlock Sholmes,"