Mary Shelley's deceptively simple story of Victor Frankenstein and the creature he brings to life, first published in 1818, is now more widely read than any other work of the Romantic period. From the creature's creation to his wild lament over the dead body of his creator in the Arctic wastes, the story retains its narrative hold on the reader even as it spins off ideas in rich profusion.

New to this edition is a discussion of Percy Shelley's role in contributing to the first draft of the novel. Recent scholarship has clarified the degree to which Percy Shelley edited, modified, and added to Mary Shelley's original text, and this edition's note on the text discusses this scholarship, as well as the controversy over whether Percy Shelley should be considered a co-author of the work.