Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Classic Fiction, Fiction, Fiction & Poetry, Hardback Classics
Hardback Published on: 03/10/2013
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Bookseller Reviews

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Frankenstein
Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus
Oh the loneliness portrayed in this classic is heart breaking. One feels anger at Victor, creator of a being crudely constructed from body parts of corpses... READ MORE
Hannah Mulligan Ward at Woking
Frankenstein
A masterpiece of gothic atmosphere
It’s no secret that Mary Shelley is an absolute ICON, and I can’t believe I’ve only just gotten around to reading this! I mean she was three years younger ... READ MORE
Millie at Colchester
Frankenstein
Perfect read for those kids looking for a scary tale
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for a review. This was a cute introduction to the Mary Shelley classic Frankenstein for yo... READ MORE
Anna at Bluewater

Synopsis

One of the best-known Gothic novels, Frankenstein is both a haunting, uncanny novel about the dangers and temptations of scientific progress and an enduring investigation into what it means to be truly human.

So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.

Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear.

The result of a compact (when Mary Shelley was just nineteen years old) between Mary, her husband Percy and Lord Byron one stormy night to write their own haunting stories, Frankenstein remains essential reading today. Influenced by the myth of Prometheus and Milton’s Paradise Lost, this chilling gothic tale would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and continues to be a devastatingly relevant exploration of the limits of human creativity.

This edition also includes 'A Fragment' by Lord Byron and 'The Vampyre: A Tale' by John Polidori, as well as an introduction and notes.

Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the daughter of pioneering thinkers Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, eloped with the poet Percy Shelley at the age of sixteen. Three years later, during a wet summer on Lake Geneva, Shelley famously wrote her masterpiece, Frankenstein. The years of her marriage were blighted by the deaths of three of her four children, and further tragedy followed in 1822, when Percy Shelley drowned in Italy. Following his death, Mary Shelley returned to England and continued to travel and write until her own death at the age of fifty-three.

Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780141393391
  • Number of pages: 352
  • Weight: 472g
  • Dimensions: 205 x 137 x 31 mm

Customer Reviews

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Frankenstein
From Galvanism to genetic engineering – a warning
It is initially easy to miss the contemporary relevance of this Regency gothic horror story but the beauty of Shelley’s classic is that it is so much more ... READ MORE
Tim Dumble
Frankenstein
A Gothic Masterpiece
This is a book well-deserved of its reputation, a chilling intruiging novel, documenting the life and loses of Dr Frankenstein and his bizzare creating. Th... READ MORE
Dr H Orwell
Frankenstein
Total classic !
A beautifully presented edition ! I am proud to have on my bookshelf. The story is amazing ! Long live books ! Especially as beautiful as this one :)
julie pook
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
cam
Frankenstein
MUST HAVE for all English students!!!
I currently study AS English Literature and I have an OCR Frankenstein exam to do. I have this book given by my teachers that is invaluable for the exam. ... READ MORE
Disneyaholic
Frankenstein
Perfect for study
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone studying English Literature (I am studying it at A Level) because besides the 1818 edition of the text com... READ MORE
Lizzy23
Frankenstein
A fantastic classic
Everyone knows, or thinks they know, the story of Frankenstein, a man who discovered how to instill life and ended up creating a monster. However the detai... READ MORE
Amandine
Frankenstein
A Classic of Its Time......... but not a horror
After spending a few pages getting used to the writing style of the time (1819) I settled down to allow this to build the atmosphere as the author intended... READ MORE
Jonathan Blackburn
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Unfortunately, for me, Frankenstein was a disappointing book. Admittedly, the novel plays upon the thoughts relevant to the nineteenth century, and it must... READ MORE
M Hughes
Frankenstein
Surprising
The story is written a lot different than I suspected from watching the films. It has certainly changed my oppinions of the characters from Hollywood's pro... READ MORE
M Gr
Frankenstein
Loose Spine
The book itself is fine (no missing pages or tears/crampling) but the spine of the book is loose; it's barely holding onto the spine. This isn't good enoug... READ MORE
Dominika
Frankenstein
A thought provoking classic that is still relevant now
Really great read that, despite the language having aged, is relevant to today's questions of humanity and compassion.
Sophie Mogford-Revess
Frankenstein
Classic
Ok. This is old. Really old. Remember that. This was first published in 1818 (only three years after the battle of Waterloo) that's 203 years ago. The writ... READ MORE
Book collector
Frankenstein
Takes perseverance at the start but it pays off
If you're looking for a horror, maybe this isn't for you. It's rather a story of loneliness and of the many flaws of man. It heavily quotes Milton's 'a par... READ MORE
chloe  lawson
Frankenstein
Haunting
An excellent book which masterfully captures feelings of loneliness, regret, anger, and abhorrence. The book leaves much open for debate, and the nature of... READ MORE
Hector Cook
Frankenstein
A Beauty
After critically analysing this book as part of my GCSE, I didn't realise the beauty of this gothic book. However, upon re-reading it, this book holds a s... READ MORE
Julia
Frankenstein
One of the best classics I’ve read!
‘ Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelly is one of my all time favorite classics. I thought it was relatively easy to read, especially if it’s your first classic. Th... READ MORE
Alice
Frankenstein
DON'T BUY THIS EDITION
Good story but don't buy this version- very nice and pretty but the key quote from Paradise Lost is misprinted!
 IC
Frankenstein
Very entertaining but not a horror story
Another classic I wanted to read to discover the original storey and separate it from film versions. Quite a fascinating read. I was completely unaware of ... READ MORE
Andrew Wishaw
Frankenstein
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Mowgli’s Rhymes