SHELLEY, Mary. Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus & The Sleep Walker. (1831 - FIRST PRINTING OF THE THIRD AND FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION)

AUTHOR: SHELLEY, Mary. 

TITLE: Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, Revised, Corrected, and Illustrated with a New Introduction by the Author - BOUND WITH - Edgar Huntly: Or, The Sleep Walker. Volume IX of Bentley's Standard Novels series.

PUBLISHER: London: Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1831.

DESCRIPTION: FIRST PRINTING OF THE THIRD AND FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION. 1 vol., 6-9/16" x 4-3/8", with the engraved frontis and additional engraved title-page, and a new introduction by Mary Shelley, bound with the scarcer "Edgar Huntly" as issued. Bound in contemporary 1/2 dark brown calf, gilt decorated spine, gilt lettered maroon morocco spine label, plain pastedowns, endpapers, bookplate to front pastedown.

CONDITION: Half of spine label chipped with loss, hinges rubbed but firm, head and foot of spine rubbed with minor loss, some offsetting to frontis and additional engraved title-page otherwise internally clean and bright, a VERY GOOD copy in a contemporary binding.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: All first three printings of "Frankenstein" are scarce. The first printing of the third edition (and the first 1 volume edition) contains the first ever attempt to illustrate the Monster. In her introduction, Shelley contextualizes the creation of her tale: "It proved a wet, ungenial summer, and incessant rain often confined us for days to the house. Some volumes of ghost stories, translated from the German into French, fell into our hands… 'We will each write a ghost story,' said Lord Byron; and his proposition was acceded to"..... "And now, once again, I bid my hideous progeny go forth and prosper".