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Frankenstein
The Folio Society 2015 hardcover introduction by Miranda Seymour Illustrated by Harry Brockway, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- GenresFiction
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2015
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Folio Society
45 books20 followersGreat books should be outstanding not only in literary content but also in their physical form: this has been the philosophy of The Folio Society since it was founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, with a dream of publishing beautiful books that would be affordable to everyone. Our pleasure in reading is enhanced by the book itself, in which typography, illustration, paper, printing and binding all play a part in creating a harmonious whole. In a world of declining publishing standards, where most books are cheaply printed, and bound using low-grade materials, The Folio Society resolutely sets store by traditional values of excellence; for our designers and production personnel the term 'quite good' means 'no good': only the best is good enough.
Folio has published an astonishing range of works; from Moby-Dick to Pather Panchali, and from the Qur’ân to Kerouac’s On The Road. The quality of our books as tactile and aesthetic objects has been a constant hallmark, but members (some of whom have been with us from our inception in 1947) have long looked beyond our exceptional covers, to the standards we uphold for each and every text. From introducers who make up the great names of modern literature and academia, and editors and picture researchers who ensure unrivalled standards of research and textual work, to our artists who have swept the board in so many illustrations awards – Folio offers a complete experience for the book-lover.
Folio has published an astonishing range of works; from Moby-Dick to Pather Panchali, and from the Qur’ân to Kerouac’s On The Road. The quality of our books as tactile and aesthetic objects has been a constant hallmark, but members (some of whom have been with us from our inception in 1947) have long looked beyond our exceptional covers, to the standards we uphold for each and every text. From introducers who make up the great names of modern literature and academia, and editors and picture researchers who ensure unrivalled standards of research and textual work, to our artists who have swept the board in so many illustrations awards – Folio offers a complete experience for the book-lover.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 15, 2017
If you think you know the story of Frankenstein from the assimilation of other media, I would implore you to give this a try.
Frankenstein is a bit of a conundrum at first. You are following a story, being told in a story, being relayed to someone else through means of a letter. At times you delve one story further into the inception in this novel. Once you get past this though, you are treated to a tale that is surprisingly very relatable to topics we experience throughout the modern day. I found that the language was not very difficult at all to comprehend despite the fact the book is over 200 years old.
Story: The story follows a young man attempting to voyage into uncharted waters to find fame and acclaim. It is in the middle of this search for acclaim that he encounters the well educated Victor Frankenstein towards the tail end of his tale. Upon hearing the young man's intent, he tries to dissuade him by relating to him his plight. “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” The story of Victor Frankenstein is initially the story of a young man infatuated with the philosophers of old. He is mocked and laughed for believing in the science of old, that promised lofty things but never delivered, and is encouraged to seek out the enlightened science of the day, which in contrast promised very little, but always delivered. Frankenstein is the story of a man with very high intellect, who is determined to achieve those lofty goals that were proposed by philosophers of old. In pursuit of these ambitions, he ignores the natural way of things and creates a monster. I see a similarity to the story of Icarus who flew too close to the sun. He is dismayed at what he has done and is immediately repentant. I won't spoil it for you, but from this point onwards it deviates from most of the other adaptations of this novel.
I was surprised to see how several characters could at times feel relatable and inspired empathy despite their misgivings. This novel also made me think on how modern day science seems to promote the idea of separation of morality and science and the extreme dangers of that state of mind.
It is a short read, definitely worth picking up, and still remains relevant to this day. This folio society edition included AMAZING illustrations that really brought the tale to life, highly recommend it.
Frankenstein is a bit of a conundrum at first. You are following a story, being told in a story, being relayed to someone else through means of a letter. At times you delve one story further into the inception in this novel. Once you get past this though, you are treated to a tale that is surprisingly very relatable to topics we experience throughout the modern day. I found that the language was not very difficult at all to comprehend despite the fact the book is over 200 years old.
Story: The story follows a young man attempting to voyage into uncharted waters to find fame and acclaim. It is in the middle of this search for acclaim that he encounters the well educated Victor Frankenstein towards the tail end of his tale. Upon hearing the young man's intent, he tries to dissuade him by relating to him his plight. “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” The story of Victor Frankenstein is initially the story of a young man infatuated with the philosophers of old. He is mocked and laughed for believing in the science of old, that promised lofty things but never delivered, and is encouraged to seek out the enlightened science of the day, which in contrast promised very little, but always delivered. Frankenstein is the story of a man with very high intellect, who is determined to achieve those lofty goals that were proposed by philosophers of old. In pursuit of these ambitions, he ignores the natural way of things and creates a monster. I see a similarity to the story of Icarus who flew too close to the sun. He is dismayed at what he has done and is immediately repentant. I won't spoil it for you, but from this point onwards it deviates from most of the other adaptations of this novel.
I was surprised to see how several characters could at times feel relatable and inspired empathy despite their misgivings. This novel also made me think on how modern day science seems to promote the idea of separation of morality and science and the extreme dangers of that state of mind.
It is a short read, definitely worth picking up, and still remains relevant to this day. This folio society edition included AMAZING illustrations that really brought the tale to life, highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews