Never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness.

A twisted, upside-down creation myth, Mary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale lays bare the dark side of science, and the horror within us all. It tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, who plunders graveyards to create a new being from the bodies of the dead - but whose botched creature causes nothing but murder and destruction. Written after a nightmare when its author was only eighteen, Frankenstein gave birth to the modern science fiction novel.

This book is part of the Penguin English Library, a collection of 100 of the best classics of English Literature, all with elegant, eye-catching cover art.

These are books to collect, share and admire, books which celebrate the pleasure of reading.