THE ORIGINAL FRANKESTEIN

1.) ORIGINAL: For the first time we are able to read Frankenstein as originally conceived by Mary Shelley, free of all subsequent editing and changes which significantly altered not only the structure, but the sensibility of the novel. We see clearly, too, for the first time the extent and quality of the contribution that Percy Shelley made to the book.

2.) AUDIENCE: Frankenstein is one of the most widely read classics of all time and these two new versions of the text will appeal to all those fascinated by its timeless appeal.

3.) LITERARY HISTORY: A remarkable work of literary detection, Charles Robinson has identified all the changes made by Percy Shelley to the original manuscript, thus putting to rest the speculation that Percy alone wrote the novel. It also sheds a brilliant light on the achievement of Mary Shelley and recasts the novel as a fluid text highlighting the collaborative nature of the novel’s conception.

4.) NEW TEXT: Frankenstein is currently available in both its 1818 and 1831 editions—both of which are in the public domain. This new edition is likely to rival both these versions and will ceratinly attract readers and academics as being the preferred edition.

Working from the earliest surviving draft of Frankenstein, Charles E. Robinson presents two previously unpublished versions of the classic novel—as Mary Shelley originally wrote it and a subsequent version clearly indicating Percy Shelley’s amendments and contributions.A VINTAGE CLASSICS ORIGINAL.