The idea of a reanimated corpse was famously conceived by an 18  year old Mary Shelley on holiday with her future husband Percy Bysshe  Shelley and Lord Byron near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The three were  tasked with writing a ghost story, which resulted in one of the most  famous novels to come from the 19th century. Published anonymously in a  three volume series, Frankenstein instantly set the standard for a true literary horror and its themes  led many to believe it was the first true science fiction novel. In 1831  and after much pressure, Mary Shelley revised the text to be more  fitting to contemporary standards. Presented here by Reader's Library  Classics is the original 1818 text of Frankenstein.

Young  scientist Victor Frankenstein, grief-stricken over the death of his  mother, sets out in a series of laboratory experiments testing the  ability to create life from non-living matter. Soon, his experiments  progress further until he creates a humanoid creature eight feet tall.  But as Frankenstein soon discovers, a successful experiment does not  always equal a positive outcome.