This is a book I've been semi-wanting to read since high school. I'm checking out listings on Ebay - having narrowed my choice to the original 1818 version (it was revised by Shelley in 1832). What's got me confused is that some books are 170 pages, and others are 304 - yet all claim to be the 1818 version. I could understand a small variance of pages between publishers, but this seems ... odd. Anyone have background on this?

Type size can have a lot to do with it, as can whether or not the edition is annotated.

If they're all claiming to be the unaltered 1818 text, then it's really up to you.

Or, since it's in the public domain, you can go to archive.org and download it for free. Anything written before 1924 is now assuredly in the public domain, making it legal for anyone to do anything (republish, make a graphic novel, make a movie, record an audiobook, write a play based on...) they'd like with it. That goes for movies and audio recordings as well.

https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Frank...1831-editions/

If the books have an author introduction then it is likely the 1831 version.


My copy from college.

I read a copy from Project Gutenberg last summer. You could read a free e-text, and if you liked it you could buy it as a collectable book.

It's the best ever goth story written by a teenage girl. But it's still a goth story written by a teenage girl. I probably won't read it again.

Yeah, I considered type/font sizes. I suppose that could account for the discrepancy. If I were curious enough, I could buy both versions and see. But, no.

As for downloading - I appreciate the suggestion, but prefer the physical book. I'm currently in a snobbish mode and won't even read a paperback!

Oh look; an update! I finally ordered Frankenstein from Amazon. I must be a magnet for buying incomplete books! Although in this case I'm at a loss to explain how parts are missing since the pages are consecutively numbered. All I can assume is that the publisher simply removed parts of the book for reasons I could never explain.

While reading, I became so confused by events that I decided to check for summaries online to understand what I missed. Stop reading if your concerned about spoilers! Victor's return home after learning of his younger brother's murder, and spotting the monster lurking nearby, and thusly assuming his creation killed his brother was completely left out! It jumps from him reading the letter from his father about the murder to the trial of Justine, who was wrongly accused of it! Not a minor plot point, I'd say!

I'm going to find another version of the book. I see no reason to continue as there may be more lapses. Irritating.