Mary Shelley’s enduring gothic novel showcases the ultimate literary clash between man and monster. In his quest to create life, the young Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces he cannot control, setting off a tragic series of events that drives him to the edge of madness. The novel’s exploration of Victor’s attempts to destroy his creation, even as it dismantles everything he cherishes, weaves a compelling tale of love, friendship, scientific overreach, and horror. This Penguin Classics edition, based on the 1831 third edition, features all of Shelley’s revisions, her 1831 introduction, and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s preface to the first edition. Additionally, it includes appendices with a comparison of the 1818 and 1831 texts, as well as “A Fragment” by Lord Byron and Dr. John Polidori’s “The Vampyre: A Tale,” edited with an introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle.