The New Annotated Frankenstein

The flame of Shelley's intelligence burned brighter than any of her contemporaries', and the novel surges like an explosion with all the combustible matter available to her. The scorch marks it left behind delineate a perfect portrait of her soul and mind. -- Guillermo del Toro, from the introduction A myth was born in Geneva on the night of June 16, 1816, the only entirely human-created, datable myth describing the origin of mankind...This narrative has become the myth of modern science, the master narrative for the ways in which man's attempts to control and improve the workings of nature can have unintended and even monstrous consequences. -- Anne K. Mellor, from the afterword With the mind of a mad scientist and the heart of a voluptuary, Leslie S. Klinger has been striding through Sherlock Holmes and masterpieces of Fantastica for years now, illuminating, enlightening, clarifying, and amusing as he went. On the subject of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, Klinger surrounds and supports the famous novel with a thousand touches of scholarship and wit. He has done us all an immense service. -- Peter Straub What a marvelous book! Klinger's deep research and knowledge of his subject shines through this entertaining and fascinating insight into Mary Shelley, her life and times, and the themes and vast impact of her earth-shaking novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. -- John Landis