1888 Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Publisher -Routledge

It's been 200 years since the first printing of Shelley's Frankenstein in 1818!

A handsome, 19th century, pocket sized edition of this well-regarded work that speaks to humanity and responsibility, among other themes. A personal favorite of mine, this tale is powerful and will leave you thinking after you read it.

I think the remarkable bookplate of Leila Irwin Laughlin adds wonderfully to this copy, both for its design, and for establishing a female provenance for this classic work by Mary Shelley. The May, 1909 Book-plate Booklet wrote, "“Perhaps the half dozen finest of Mr. (James H.) Fincken’s designs would be the Robert Garrett, Leila Irwin Laughlin, Isaac M. Loughead, Clarence Stanley McIntire, Edwin S. Potter, George W. Mears Medical Library, and Anna Russell Sheldon Memorial. Especially noteworthy for its delicacy of touch is the Leila Irwin Laughlin" (page 28).

"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a hideous, sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition of the novel was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared on the second edition, published in France in 1823."

"Shelley travelled through Europe in 1814, journeying along the river Rhine in Germany with a stop in Gernsheim, which is 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist was engaged in experiments. Later, she travelled in the region of Geneva (Switzerland)—where much of the story takes place—and the topic of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her lover and future husband, Percy Shelley. Mary, Percy and Lord Byron decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made; her dream later evolved into the novel's story."

"Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. At the same time, it is an early example of science fiction. Brian Aldiss has argued that it should be considered the first true science fiction story because, in contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, the central character 'makes a deliberate decision' and 'turns to modern experiments in the laboratory' to achieve fantastic results. It has had a considerable influence in literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films and plays." - Wikipedia

Worldcat lists two copies of this edition held in the world's libraries (OCLC # - 637184334).

Provenance -

Ex libris plate of Leila Irwin Laughlin.

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 13.5 x 9 x 1.5 cm. Cloth spine with marbled boards. 317 numbered pages.

Condition -

See pictures. Slightly out of square. Shelf wear, with edge wear and some rubbing. Cloth spine discoloration, with a two c.m. hole, and a little chipping to the top. Top edge dust. Ex libris plate of Leila Irwin Laughlin. Name, in pen, on flyleaf (1st blank page). Some toning of paper near the edges, especially near front and rear. Text block is free of annotations and foxing (there is probably one or two spots, but mostly it is clear). Despite condition notices, in decent condition and entirely readable.