Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the origin of modern science fiction

In the 'wet' summer of 1816 a group of friends gathered in a lakeside house in Switzerland. Confined indoors by the weather, they fell to writing ghost stories for their entertainment.

The youngest member of the group, Mary Shelley, contributed the astonishing tale of Victor Frankenstein, a student of natural philosophy, who galvanises into life a creature out of the bones collected from charnel houses – a creature of superhuman strength and hideous in appearance. Possessed of human needs and emotions and educated through books, the creature craves acceptance in society and a female companion of its own, and the failure of its creator to comply with its demands sparks a chaotic and terrifying denouement.

Mary Shelley's inspiration for Frankenstein

Mary Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein by her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and their friend Lord Byron. This powerful and enduring book, regarded as the origin of modern science fiction, is a thrilling combination of Gothic horror, Enlightenment philosophy, religion and radical advances in technology.

Frankenstein fulfilled Mary Shelley's aim to create 'a story ... which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature, and awaken thrilling horror – one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart'.

Production details for Frankenstein:

• Introduced by Miranda Seymour
• Bound in cloth, printed and blocked with a design
• 10 wood engravings by Harry Brockway
• 256 pages
• 9" x 5 3/4"