Is My Copy of Frankenstein a First Edition? How to Identify

If you have a genuine first edition of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, you hold one of the rarest and most valuable books in the English language. Published anonymously in 1818, Mary Shelley’s novel is considered the founding text of science fiction, and first editions are among the most sought-after items in the entire antiquarian book market.

The Quick Answer

The true first edition was published on January 1, 1818 by Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones in London. It was issued anonymously — Shelley’s name does not appear anywhere in the first edition. The book was published in three volumes (a common format for novels of the Romantic period), and only 500 copies were printed. Surviving copies in any condition are extraordinarily rare.

Step-by-Step Identification

Step 1: Check the Format

The first edition was issued in three separate volumes (8vo, approximately 7 × 4.5 inches each). This is the single most important format indicator. If your copy is a single volume, it is not the 1818 first edition.

Step 2: Check the Publisher

The title page reads: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, Finsbury Square (London). The Lackington firm was a well-known publisher of the era.

Step 3: Check for Author Attribution

The 1818 first edition was published without Mary Shelley’s name. The title page reads “FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS” with no author listed, only a dedication “TO WILLIAM GODWIN” and an epigraph from Paradise Lost.

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote the preface, and many contemporary readers assumed he was the author. Mary Shelley was not publicly identified as the author until the 1823 second edition (Godwin, two volumes) and did not write an introduction under her own name until the 1831 revised edition (Colburn and Bentley, single volume).

Step 4: Check the Date

The title page must read 1818. Any other date means it is not the first edition.

Step 5: Check Collation

Bibliographic scholars have established detailed collation points for the first edition:

• Volume I: title page, dedication, preface, text
• Volume II: title page, text
• Volume III: title page, text
• Specific gathering signatures and page counts distinguish genuine copies

The standard bibliographic reference is William St Clair’s work on the Godwin and Shelley publishing history and entries in major bibliographic databases.

What Is My Copy Worth?

The 500-Copy Reality

With only 500 copies printed in 1818 and over 200 years of attrition, surviving copies are estimated at perhaps 30–50 worldwide in known institutional and private collections. Complete three-volume sets in original boards are almost impossibly rare.

Major Auction Results

Frankenstein first editions appear at auction perhaps once a decade:

• Christie’s sold a complete set in original boards for over $1.1 million in 2021
• Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Bonhams have all handled copies at six and seven figures
• Even incomplete or damaged copies command extraordinary prices due to extreme rarity

The 1831 Revised Edition

The 1831 edition (published by Colburn and Bentley in the Standard Novels series as a single volume) is a collectible book in its own right, though vastly less valuable than the 1818 first. It is also the text most readers know — Shelley substantially revised the novel, adding the famous introduction describing the ghost story competition at the Villa Diodati.

Common Confusions

”My copy says ‘by Mary Shelley’”

If the author’s name appears, the copy is not the 1818 first edition. Shelley was first named on the 1823 second edition. This is the most common misidentification.

”My copy is one volume”

The 1818 first edition was issued in three volumes. Single-volume copies are either the 1831 revised edition or a later reprint. (Some later publishers bound three volumes into one, but this is extremely unusual and would show clear evidence of rebinding.)

”My copy looks very old”

Age alone means nothing. Frankenstein has been continuously in print since the 1830s. Dozens of nineteenth-century editions exist from various publishers, and while some of these are themselves collectible, they are not the first edition.

The 1818 vs. 1831 Text Debate

Literary scholars have long debated which text is authoritative. The 1818 text is closer to Shelley’s original vision, while the 1831 text reflects her mature revisions (and arguably Percy Shelley’s influence is reduced). Most modern scholarly editions now print the 1818 text. For collectors, the 1818 first edition is the prize, but the 1831 revised edition has its own textual significance.

The Shelley Collecting Context

Mary Shelley’s collecting profile is almost entirely defined by Frankenstein. Her other novels (The Last Man, Valperga, Lodore, Falkner, Mathilda) are collectible but at a fraction of Frankenstein’s value.

This makes Frankenstein one of the most extreme single-title collecting profiles in literary history — alongside Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847).

Practical Authentication

The extreme values involved make professional authentication mandatory. Any purported first edition should be examined by:

1. A specialist in Romantic-era bibliography — members of the Bibliographical Society or equivalent scholarly organizations
2. Major auction house specialists — Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams all have dedicated book and manuscript departments
3. ABAA/ILAB members specializing in early nineteenth-century literature

Points to verify:

• Three-volume format (non-negotiable)
• Lackington imprint
• Anonymous publication (no author named)
• 1818 date
• Collation against established bibliographic descriptions
• Paper and type analysis (watermarks, press figures)
• Provenance documentation

The cost of authentication ($500–$2,000 for a detailed specialist opinion) is negligible relative to the value at stake. Do not buy or sell a purported Frankenstein first edition without expert verification. The forgery risk is significant given the values involved.