Scary Book Numero Uno!

 

                                                      Scary Books,

       Kiddies!

 Frankenstein: The Original 1818 Text.  By Mary Shelley, edited by James Reiger.  Pocket Books, 1976.  Copyright 1974.  Cover art by Maria McAfee.

            This astounding book was correctly judged by Pocket Books to be attractive to the general paperback public.  It was originally printed by Bobbs-Merrill, I assume as an English-lit textbook.

             But any monster fan would be captivated by the cover blurb.  Who wouldn’t want to see “the original” text?

             This edition contains a hefty introduction.  The text itself has line numbers in the margins (for reference’s sake), for heaven’s sake!  Reiger also divides the text into three volumes in the places where the original publication breaks were.  You did know that Frankenstein was originally published that way?

            Other items include Shelley’s intro from 1831; and the two other literary works inspired by the famous ghost-story party: “A Fragment,” by Byron, and Polidori’s “The Vampyre.”

            As you know, Shelley’s book is demanding, yet rewarding.  A product of its time, it still resonates today by its inspiration of generations of horrors who never asked to be generated.

            As a side note, the book has no dire warning of copyright from Universal in regards to Karloff’s face and the very specific monster familiar from those movies.  Must have come before the lawyers decided to get busy that way!

            Buy it and read it!

See you Monday for the final week of BLOG-O-WEEN!