SP Books Publishes Limited Edition Facsimile of "Frankenstein" Manuscript

To commemorate the bicentennial of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, SP Books in Paris has published a limited edition, luxury facsimile of the original manuscript.

 

"Frankenstein is a canon in the history of Literature," said Jessica Nelson of SP Books. "But the original story is often lost on the modern public. Everybody knows the legend of Frankenstein but perhaps this has cast a shadow upon the novel itself. We wanted to publish the manuscript to pay a tribute to Mary Shelley, and the 200 years anniversary of the novel's publication, but also to give the public access to the source of it all: the very manuscript that shaped 200 years of imagination and retelling."

 

For Shelley collectors, that manuscript contains some interesting insights into the development of Shelley's story, with the evolution, for example, of the monster from being referred to as a "creature" to a "being." Also of interest is the dialogue in the margins between Mary Shelley and her husband, the poet Percy Bysse Shelley, as their personal annotations and responses color the pages.

The facsimile was created from the original manuscript of Frankenstein held at the Bodleian in Oxford. "It was an honor to work with the Bodleian Library at Oxford University and to include such an important writer in our growing English manuscripts collection," added Nelson.

 

The SP publication, limited to a numbered edition of 1,000 copies and issued with slipcase, is currently available for $250.