<DIV><I>Frankenstein</I>, by <B>Mary Shelley</B>, is part of the <I> </I>series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of <I>Barnes & Noble Classics</I>: <DIV><UL type=disc><LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Biographies of the authors <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Footnotes and endnotes <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Comments by other famous authors <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Bibliographies for further reading <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto">Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate</LI></UL>All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. <I>Barnes & Noble Classics </I>pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.</DIV></DIV><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B></B> </P><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B>Mary Shelley</B> began writing <I>Frankenstein</I> when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, <I>Frankenstein</I> tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering "the cause of generation and life" and "bestowing animation upon lifeless matter," Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature?s hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.<BR><BR><I>Frankenstein</I>, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises rofound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever. <BR><BR></P><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B>Karen Karbiener </B>received a Ph.D. from Columbia University and currently teaches literature at New York University.</P>