Browse Exhibits (7 total)
Frankenstein (1831, by Mary Shelley)
Published in 1831 as part of the Standard Novels series by Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, the second edition of Frankenstein marks the novel’s shift towards wider accessibility. The book—bound in plain maroon cloth and only costing six shillings—includes a new introduction by Mary Shelley that melodramatically retells the story of the novel’s conception. Affected by the deaths of her two children and husband, Shelley also imbues this edition with greater undertones of pessimistic naturalism, or the idea that man’s fate is controlled by forces beyond his understanding.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Frankenstein (1839, by Mary Shelley)
Everyone has heard the phrase “time is money;” this proverb has never been more accurate than in the case of this 1839 edition of Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. Once your average household copy of Shelley’s famous novel, this book is now worth a small fortune. Its ability to generate value simply by remaining intact is not the only special feature of this particular novel; it also includes two inscription written in the 18th century, the original binding, and a preface on the background of the story written by Shelley herself.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Frankenstein (1984, illustrated by Barry Moser, Pennyroyal Press)
Just as Victor Frankenstein pieces together his monster, Barry Moser creates a beautifully tragic artistic portrayal of the 1984 Pennyroyal edition of Frankenstein, by weaving together his illustrations and Shelley’s text. Bound in leather and wrapped in crimson cloth, this edition elevates the reading experience.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Frankenstein (1984, illustrated by Barry Moser, Univ. of California Press)
In this 1984 edition of Frankenstein illustrated by Barry Moser, readers are given all of the beauty, finesse and longevity of the fancier Pennyroyal Press 1984 edition for a much cheaper price tag that gives the owner a great keepsake for their library.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Frankenstein (1932, illustrated by Nino Carbe)
Nino Carbe’s 1932 illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s 1818 Frankenstein is the first illustrated edition of the novel published since the 1831 edition. These images appear to be influenced by Hollywood films such as Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931). However, Frankenstein’s creature bears more of a likeness in appearance to the monster from the silent-era film Nosferatu, released in the US in 1929. The picture of the creature on page 233 features clawed hands and fangs similar to the Nosferatu monster.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Making the Monster (Kathryn Harkup, 2018)
This book published in 2018 reflects the modern fascination with Frankenstein and the Gothic by exploring the 18th-century preoccupation with electricity and the reanimation of the dead. Making the Monster approaches the science behind the creation of Frankenstein’s monster by surveying the abstract and physical tools involved in the making of Victor Frankenstein’s creature.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.
Frankenstein (adapted by C. Louise March, illustrated by Bob Berry, 2004)
C. Louise March’s 2004 young reader adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein invites a wider demographic to engage in the world of Victor Frankenstein through a simplified story and dramatic illustrations. The edition’s 64 upside-down pages, while assumed to be a misprint, can be interpreted as representative of how Victor’s life was in disarray after the creation of the monster.
Explore related items in digital Special Collections exhibits at San Jose State University and at University of San Francisco! Both exhibits exist in a collaboration with the Santa Clara University exhibit to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find our collaboration website here: https://frankenstein200yrs.wordpress.com/.