Mary Shelley "FRANKENSTEIN" The Doctor Edition, Signed Limited Artist Edition of 300, Leather Bound [Sealed]

FRANKENSTEIN : THE DOCTOR EDITION

The landmark Gothic Horror and Modern Science Fiction Tale, Personally signed by Marko Matijašević (creative concept) and Yana Adamović (illustrations)

Amaranthine Books 2022 "Frankenstein" Mary Shelley. Signed Limited Artist Edition. Collector's Edition. A great unique gift for yourself or for a loved one. Beautifully illustrated and luxuriously bound with full genuine leather. An amazing collectible produced with high level detail by the publisher. One of the most famous works and a monster classic. As New, sealed without any flaws. Traycased.

Ultra-rare : LIMITED TO ONLY 300 SIGNED AND NUMBERED COPIES.

This is Mary Shelley’s iconic Gothic tale.

The landmark Gothic Horror and Modern Science Fiction Tale...

A Luxurious Signed Limited Artist Edition of The Monster Gothic Classic

The Doctor Edition of Frankenstein attempts to incorporate the spirit of dr. Victor Frankenstein and his (mis)deeds. It is quarter-bound in finest goatskin black leather and aluminium. The use of aluminium was inspired by an operating table and therefore a real surgeon’s needle was blocked onto the front cover. The spine is blocked in sliver, while the detailing on aluminium is engraved with laser. There are eight illustrations inside (two spreads) that are sensitive to heat, so they transform upon touch, which means each illustrations has two phases. It comes in a solander box that was inspired by a doctor’s tool bag from that era.

Please note that there will some slight improvements in the final product compared to this prototype at the time of a preorder. For example, marbled papers will have a smaller cellular pattern to make it more impactful.

Limited to 300 numbered and signed copies.

• Signed by Marko Matijašević (creative concept) and Yana Adamović (illustrations).
• Cased in solander box bound in a material made of 85% genuine leather fibres with metal plate on the spine.
• Purple velvet inside the solander box.
• Quarter-bound in finest black goatskin leather (sourced from Didier Lieutard in France) and aluminium.
• Spine blocked in silver foil.
• Silver page edges.
• Handmade cellular pattern marbled endpapers by Freya Scott.
• Printed offset on Fedrigoni Savile Row 100g paper.
• Eight full page coloured illustrations (two spreads).
• Each illustration screen printed by hand with thermochromic ink to give it two phases sensitive to warm touch (it is completely reversible, below you can read more on how and under what conditions this ink works).
• Illustrated drop caps for every chapter.
• Smyth sewn with black thread.
• Several hidden design details.
• Bookmark in shape of a doctor’s scalpel.

Weight: 1.6 kg
Dimensions: 25 × 18 × 5 cm

About Frankenstein

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelley about a creature produced by an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818. Shelley's name appears on the second edition, published in France in 1823.

Shelley had travelled in the region of Geneva, where much of the story takes place, and the topics of galvanism and other similar occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her future husband, Percy. The storyline emerged from a dream. Mary, Percy, Lord Byron, and John Polidori decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for weeks about what her possible storyline could be, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. She then wrote Frankenstein.

Frankenstein is infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement and is also considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Brian Aldiss has argued that it should be considered the first true science fiction story, because unlike in previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, the central character "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results. It has had a considerable influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films.

Since publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" is often used to refer to the monster itself, as is done in the stage adaptation by Peggy Webling. This usage is sometimes considered erroneous, but usage commentators regard the monster sense of "Frankenstein" as well-established and not an error. In the novel, the monster is identified via words such as "creature," "monster", "fiend", "wretch", "vile insect", "daemon", and "it". Speaking to Dr. Frankenstein, the monster refers to himself as "the Adam of your labors", and elsewhere as someone who "would have" been "your Adam", but is instead your "fallen angel."

source: Wikipedia.

About The Author

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (UK: /ˈwʊlstənkrɑːft/; née Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin and her mother was the philosopher and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary's mother died less than a fortnight after giving birth to her. She was raised by her father, who provided her with a rich if informal education, encouraging her to adhere to his own anarchist political theories. When she was four, her father married a neighbour, Mary Jane Clairmont, with whom Mary came to have a troubled relationship.

In 1814, Mary began a romance with one of her father's political followers, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. Together with her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, she and Percy left for France and travelled through Europe. Upon their return to England, Mary was pregnant with Percy's child. Over the next two years, she and Percy faced ostracism, constant debt and the death of their prematurely born daughter. They married in late 1816, after the suicide of Percy Shelley's first wife, Harriet.

In 1816, the couple and Mary's stepsister famously spent a summer with Lord Byron and John William Polidori near Geneva, Switzerland, where Shelley conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein. The Shelleys left Britain in 1818 for Italy, where their second and third children died before Shelley gave birth to her last and only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley. In 1822, her husband drowned when his sailing boat sank during a storm near Viareggio. A year later, Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author. The last decade of her life was dogged by illness, most likely caused by the brain tumour which killed her at age 53.

Until the 1970s, Shelley was known mainly for her efforts to publish her husband's works and for her novel Frankenstein, which remains widely read and has inspired many theatrical and film adaptations. Recent scholarship has yielded a more comprehensive view of Shelley's achievements. Scholars have shown increasing interest in her literary output, particularly in her novels, which include the historical novels Valperga (1823) and Perkin Warbeck (1830), the apocalyptic novel The Last Man (1826) and her final two novels, Lodore (1835) and Falkner (1837). Studies of her lesser-known works, such as the travel book Rambles in Germany and Italy (1844) and the biographical articles for Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia (1829–1846), support the growing view that Shelley remained a political radical throughout her life. Shelley's works often argue that cooperation and sympathy, particularly as practised by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society. This view was a direct challenge to the individualistic Romantic ethos promoted by Percy Shelley and the Enlightenment political theories articulated by her father, William Godwin.

Concept and Art

The Doctor Edition aims to represent the ambitious doctor and elements of his profession. It is limited to 300 numbered and signed copies, and it has several features that make it quite unique. Since we wanted to create two distinct editions, they share a deep connection, just like the doctor and its creation.

The covers are inspired by an operating table and that is why we used aluminium as the main feature, which is then quarter-bound in the finest black leather, and then the spine was blocked with silver foil. Most importantly a real surgeon’s needle was blocked on the front cover, while other details were engraved with laser. The goal was to have covers that can proudly claim the title of The Doctor Edition.

Once you open the book, you’ll be met by handmade marbled endpapers done by the legendary Freya Scott. They were done in a cellular pattern so to make one additional connection with Victor’s profession. When you reach the title, you will find a hidden surprise in the book’s title.

But the creative concept for this title is where the book truly shines. It is based upon our insight that this is a story about connection, or rather the lack thereof. The Monster is constantly trying to connect with people. It is smart, caring, hungry for companionship. Yet, despite this desire, it is constantly denied all of it. Each of the illustration in its original state represents the moments in story where the Monster interacted with humans and how it was chased and cast away. But each of these illustrations are screen printed by hand and is only the first phase of the illustration. Once you touch the monster, the ink becomes transparent and reveals the real offset printed illustration below, that gives you a glimpse into how the story could have ended then and there if people in question accepted the Monster. The two phases of the illustrations were quite challenging to do, because the overlap had to make sense in both phases, and the extremely talented illustrator Yana Adamović did a stupendous job in achieving that.

As you go through the chapters, you’ll see there are beautiful drop caps designed for each chapter and once you need a break from reading, you can use the bookmark shaped like a scalpel to “cut” into the monster and mark your spot.

The book comes in a solander box that is made to look like a doctor’s tool bag from that era, so once you open it you’re met with rich velvet interior where the book is safely tucked away.

As previously mentioned, the whole run has 300 lettered copies, with a few additional publisher’s copies for the key participants of the projects that will never go to sale, making this a true rarity.

Production and Materials

For this edition of Frankenstein we had to consider some unusual materials to make something as unique as this.

The solander box is bound in a material made of 85% genuine leather fibres and it features a metal plate with the title on the spine. Inside it is lined with that same recycled leather material and purple velvet so it can be truly protected from outside influence.

The book is quarter-bound in finest black goatskin leather with an aniline finish, sourced from Didier Lieutard in France, and features aluminium covers with a surgeon’s needle safely blocked on the front. The spine is blocked in silver foil.

Marbled endpapers were handmade using numerous colours, some of them metallic, to achieve a cellular pattern, as if one was looking through the microscope. The book was printed offset on Fedrigoni Savile Row 100g paper, giving it a rich feel full of texture. After printing each illustration had thermochromic ink screen printed over the illustrations to give it two phases that react to warmth. The ink is set to react at 25 degrees celsius, so bear in mind that in extremely cold conditions it will hardly react to human warmth (or if you have cold hands). Likewise, should the temperature in the room run high, the ink will react by itself. However, as soon as conditions change, it will return to its original state so it is completely reversible. In any normal circumstances (living temperature conditions) the book should look as intended and react to human touch or gentle rubbing since friction will generate heat. When the heat dissipates, it will revert back to black. Also worth noting is that since each of these were screen printed by hand, the overlap is not always perfect, nor is it intended like that. Instead, we wanted to achieve this blend of situations, giving you glimpse into an alternative story that portrays the power of human touch.

Finally, the book was smyth sewn with black thread, then glued afterwards to provide for maximum durability. As always, to ensure the best reading experience, we used the beautiful and versatile Brioni typeface.

The scalpel bookmark was produced from a special metallic paper with embossing on both sides.

All of these details make this a truly unique edition of Frankenstein.

WE ARE...…dedicated to creating beautifully designed special editions of great books. This is achieved by analysing the book and developing a creative concept which will drive the creation of illustration and other design details. The end result does not only make the book truly special, but also provides an enhanced reading experience as well. By focusing on quality on all levels, we produce books that last; books that you’ll buy for yourself, but leave to those who come after you.

UNIQUE ARTWORK

Our aim is to always come up with an intriguing creative concept which will inspire the art for the book. Then, we hire an illustrator whose style fits the story so they can take it to the next level, with the end result being a book that not only looks, but feels different, too — a true special edition. That is why we never want to make books that just look pretty; we want you to have an unparalleled reading experience.

HIGH QUALITY

Artwork is nothing without a suitable form and that is why we put a lot of emphasis on the materials for the book. Not only do we use vast knowledge of our suppliers, we also strive to keep up with the latest of the latest when it comes to printing technology. Finally, the end product has to feel as a whole, from the pages and the illustrations inside, to the covers and the box for the book. As a bonus, we always try to sneak in a few surprises inside the book for the more inquisitive readers to find.

WHY AMARANTHINE?

am·a·ran·thine
adjective
1. of or like the amaranth
2. unfading; everlasting; eternally beautiful
3. of purplish-red color

Our books are not only made to look good, but to last as well. That is not only why we chose this particular name, but where we also picked the colour of our logo.

FINE PRESS PUBLISHING

Creation of our books often utilises premium materials, handmade details and a lot of manual labour. The end result is a gorgeous, meticulously produced book. However, this approach cannot always guarantee that everything will be absolutely perfect, simply because human beings and natural materials are not perfect either.

Therefore, we consider these minor imperfections as a part of the charm of a handmade product. It represents the fact that a real person has had your book in their hands and did their work. Obviously, this does not concern serious defects that might occur in production and we tend to remedy those to the best of our ability.

However, if you find these minor imperfections unacceptable, it might be good to reconsider the purchase of books such as these. You can always return the book if it’s not to your liking, but it is worthwhile keeping in mind how our books are produced prior to making the decision. Therefore we encourage you to read the production segments below where we tried to explain certain elements of our production, so you can get a clearer idea about the amount of work that go into our books.

LEATHER COVERS

Some of our books feature leather covers. We always aim to pick the leather of highest quality; one that we can put our logo on with pride.

It is important to keep in mind that leather is a natural material first and foremost. Therefore, it can have certain markings and scars, which are a result of an animal’s natural experiences during its lifetime. Although we try to avoid using areas with such markings, sometimes it is unavoidable that these naturally occurring scars will find their way onto covers of our books.

Since this is the natural state of things, we do not consider these subtle markings a defect, but rather an “imperfectly perfect” natural material, that is beautiful just the way it is.

GILDED PAGE EDGES

Our gilded page edges are not done by an automated machine, but rather by a person operating a manual machine. Therefore, small blemishes might occur on the gilding, purely because each book has gone through the hands of a master of his craft.

Although we try to avoid any of them happening at all, it is quite impossible to completely avoid them. Therefore, we see them as having a charm of a handmade product. It represents the fact that a real person, a craftsman, has had your book in their hands.

MARBLED ENDPAPERS

Some of our books feature marbled endpapers, typically with a motif that was inspired by some element of the story. Each paper is made by hand by a master of their craft, using the best pigments at their disposal to create rich and unique patterns.

That means that no two marbled papers are quite the same, because it would be quite impossible to even attempt to make them in such a way. Instead, they should be seen such as they are: a small works of art, each one completely unique, adding to the overall creative concept of the book. In some cases the ink might even transfer to the other side of the paper during drying, which for some books we tend to leave as is (instead of opting to make so-called “made papers”). We see this as some way of the artist’s “signature” and a proof of the handmade process.

HANDWRITTEN TITLE

Our lettered editions feature a title written by hand, often in shimmering ink that fits the story and our creative concept. These titles are written in before sewing and binding, and they go through a process of drying and sealing, as to minimise the chance of smearing.

Each of these titles is unique due to the nature of the ink and the calligraphy involved in writing them.