The Essential Frankenstein

The complete original text of Mary Shelly’s classic 1816 novel, fully annotated with thousands of fascinating facts and legends… eveything you ever wanted to know about literature’s most famous Creature.

“The Essential Frankenstein” also includes:

A major introductory essay by Leonard Wolf, which provides background on the Romantic spirit that infuses the novel and examines how Shelly’s tragic family life influenced “Frankenstein”…

Selections from the original ghost stories that inspired Mary Shelley to write “Frankenstein”, translated into English for the first time ever…

Nineteenth-century reviews of “Frankenstein” by Sir Walter Scott, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others…

Commentary by leading contemporary writers, including Joyce Carol Oates, Camille Paglia, Leonard Maltin, Robert Bloch, and many more…

A selected filmography of major “Frankenstein” films…

Dozens of illustrations, including stunning new artwork by Christopher Bing…

“The Essential Frankenstein” is the most complete and comprehensive edition of one of the world’s most haunting horror stories.