Knight's Quarterly Magazine - containing remarkable Frankenstein review, casting doubt on authorship

Published by Charles Knight, London, 1824

About this Item

Disbound sammelband of magazines, most notably including the 1824 Knight's Quarterly Magazine review comparing Mary Shelley's Valperga to her earlier novel, Frankenstein, suggesting they were written by different authors. The review highlighted a perceived difference in quality, stating there was "not the slightest trace of the same hand" between the two works. It found Valperga to be "cold, crude, inconsecutive, and wearisome," lacking the "rapidity and enthusiastic energy" of Frankenstein. The review even prompted the reviewer to reread Frankenstein to confirm their initial positive impression. Also, the review recounts the by then already famous tale of the origin of Frankenstein, involving the Shelley's, Byron and Polidori (author of The Vampyre). Pages good, but textblock broken, lacking boards. oor condition. Volume begins with a contents page, followed by pages 1 through 328 of Knight's Magazine, vol. 3, quarterly August to November 1824. Please note, this is not the entire vol. 3, but only part, including the full review, which starts at page 195. Following the Knight's material, there is another unknown magazine; then the Monthly Critical Gazette, June, 1824, and The Magnet, Dec. 1823. For all it's faults, a scarce, detailed account of one of the most important events in all of horror literature.

Seller Inventory # 014958

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Knight's Quarterly Magazine - containing remarkable Frankenstein review, casting doubt on authorship
• Publisher: Charles Knight, London
• Publication Date: 1824
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First edition.
• Condition: Poor
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket