For the bicentennial of its first publication, Mary Shelley's original 1818 text.
Mary Shelley was born in London in 1797, daughter of William Godwin
and Mary Wollstonecraft, famous radical writers of the day. In 1814
she met and soon fell in love with the then-unknown Percy Bysshe
Shelley. In December 1816, after Shelley's first wife committed
suicide, Mary and Percy married. They lived in Italy from 1818
until 1822, when Shelley drowned, whereupon Mary returned to London
to live as a professional writer of novels, stories, and essays
until her death in 1851.
Charlotte Gordon's previous publications include Romantic Outlaws-
The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter
Mary Shelley (2015), Mistress Bradstreet- The Untold Story of
America's First Poet (2005), and The Woman Who Named God- Abraham's
Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths (2009). Romantic Outlaws was
the winner of the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for
Biography. Currently, she is the distinguished professor of the
humanities at Endicott College.
Charles E. Robinson, was professor of English at the University of
Delaware, frequently lectured on "The Ten Texts of Frankenstein"
and edited Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus- The Original
Two-Volume Novel of 1816-1817 from the Bodleian Library
Manuscripts, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (with Percy Bysshe
Shelley) (2008), reprinted in paperback by Vintage Books (2009).
His other books included Shelley and Byron- The Snake and Eagle
Wreathed in Fight (1976) and an edition of Mary Shelley- Collected
Tales and Short Stories, with Original Engravings (1976); The Mary
Shelley Reader (1990), coedited with Betty T. Bennett; and an
edition of Mary Shelley's Mythological Dramas- Proserpine and Midas
(1992) as well as the two-volume Frankenstein Notebooks (1996).
“Gordon’s framing is the real standout of the anniversary edition
(…) Highly recommended.”
—N. K. Jemisin, The New York Times Book Review
“Frankenstein is as efficient and resonant a reference today as it
was in 1818. . . In this bicentennial year, much will be written
about Frankenstein, its adaptations, and whether there exists a
definitive or superior version of the novel. . . The 1818
Text is reflective of the thrill and nervous energy that
ushered in a new era of science and society. . . But part of what
makes it a little unsettling is what makes it so interesting: The
chance to watch a 200-year-old novel develop. In a story that's
reflected so much of the last two hundred years, and centers so
much on choices, storytelling, and the potential for change, it
only makes sense that Frankenstein reflects changes within its
own creator”
—Genevieve Valentine, NPR
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