The Quarterly Review, Volume XVIII (October 1817 and January 1818 issues), FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley Early Review: Early Review of FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

This is a volume of the publication "The Quarterly Review" that contains a rare, early (possibly the first) book review of the classic horror tale "FRANKENSTEIN or The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley. 1818; John Murray; London. Volume XVIII comprised of the October, 1817 and January, 1818 issues. This review was published in January, 1818 - the same month as the January, 1818 first publication of Frankenstein. The book title is also listed within the table of contents at the front of the January issue, and in the Index at the back of the volume. The rather scathing review spans seven pages and was written by John Wilson Croker - he writes "Our readers will guess from this summary, what a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity this work presents" and ponders "whether the head or the heart of the author be the most diseased." (Note: This volume contains two separate issues - October 1817 No. XXXV, and January 1818 No. XXXVI...however, the title page at the beginning of the volume states "May" 1818, and not "January" 1818.) Condition: Some fading to the marbled paper over the boards; worn/rounded corners. The gilt on the spine has partially faded. There are splits along the left and right edges of the spine where it meets the covers, resulting in the front cover being shaky (though the back cover is firmly in place). Nice interior - the pages are mostly clean with occasional light foxing, though heavier on the first few and last few pages. Light musty odor. Some shelf wear along the edges of the boards. Page 1 has a name(?) written in old handwriting in the outer margin. Overall the book is in Good- condition.