Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a seminal work of Gothic literature and one of history's most iconic horror novels. Written by Mary Shelley, the novel was first published anonymously in 1818 in London by Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones. Its full title reflects its themes of creation, ambition, and the consequences of defying natural laws. The story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a monstrous being through unorthodox scientific experiments, has since become a cultural touchstone, inspiring countless adaptations in film, literature, and popular culture.

Mary Shelley, born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in 1797, was just 18 years old when she began writing Frankenstein. The novel’s origins are famously tied to a ghost story challenge during the summer of 1816, often called the "Year Without a Summer." Shelley, her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Polidori stayed at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Due to unseasonably cold and stormy weather—caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815—the group was confined indoors. To pass the time, Byron proposed they each write a ghost story. This creative spark led Mary to conceive the tale of Victor Frankenstein and his creature, born from her fascination with science, the supernatural, and the ethical boundaries of human ambition.

The first edition of Frankenstein was published in three volumes, a standard format for novels at the time, and consisted of only 500 copies. It included a preface by Percy Shelley, who edited the manuscript, and was dedicated to Mary’s father, William Godwin, a noted philosopher. The novel’s initial reception was mixed; some critics praised its originality, while others found its horror and moral transgression themes unsettling. A second edition, published in 1823, was the first to bear Mary Shelley’s name, and a more widely known revised edition appeared in 1831, with significant changes to the text and a new introduction by Shelley detailing the novel’s creation.

Frankenstein emerged from a rich intellectual and cultural context. Mary Shelley was influenced by her parents—her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneering feminist, and her father, Godwin, a radical thinker—and the Romantic movement’s emphasis on emotion, nature, and the sublime. The novel also reflects contemporary debates about science, particularly the ethics of galvanism and the potential to reanimate life, which fascinated the public during the early 19th century. Today, Frankenstein remains a powerful exploration of humanity, responsibility, and the dangers of unchecked ambition, cementing Mary Shelley’s legacy as a literary pioneer.

DESCRIPTION

3 vols, octavo (215 x 138) mm.

Published by Rambler Press in 2022, this exclusive edition is limited to just 25 hand-numbered copies. Printed on luxurious Century Laid cotton paper and set in the elegant Brunel Text No. 2 typeface, book is hand-bound in full leather using time-honored techniques and presented in a custom slipcase. Gilded page edges add a refined finishing touch.