Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Book Overview

Three horror icons come together in one indispensable tome--with an introduction by Stephen King.

"Within the pages of this volume you will come upon three of the darkest creations of English nineteenth-century literature; three of the darkest in all of English and American literature, many would say...and not without justification...These three creatures, presented together for the first time, all have a great deal in common beyond their power to go on frightening generation after generation of readers...but that fact alone should be considered before all others."--From the Introduction by Stephen King

A diabolical, bloodthirsty Count draws an unsuspecting young man into a world of terrors. A scientist oversteps the bounds of conscience and brings to life a tortured creation. A man of medicine explores his darker side only to fall prey to it. These three legendary tales have held readers spellbound for more than a century.

The titles alone--Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--have become synonymous with horror. They are part of a universal language that serves to put a monster's face on the good-and-evil duality of our very human nature. Inventive and subversive, these classic tales of terror can shake even the modern reader with something far more profound than fear....

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00BG7J8IQ
• ISBN13: 9780451523631
• Release Date: December 1978
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 736 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Love Love Love Dracula

The book itself was extremely good quality and I love the stories! Definitely worth the money!!!

Good deal

This is a good deal being three books in one. Frankenstein exposes the dangers of playing God, an timely lesson for embryonic stem cell research advocates. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explorers our dual natures and how our carnal side cause shame and hatred. And Dracula is just a story with no particular over-arching theme but is fun to read being the original vampire novel.

Three in One Classics

Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde / 0-451-52363-6 Foundational works of horror, and the inspiration for dozens if nor hundreds of movies, the classic three are packaged here together in an attractive tight package. Frankenstein is something of a love-it-or-hate-it work and I will confess of falling on the more heretical side of that equation - there's a strong didactic feel to the work and Shelley comes off a little too hand-wringing and pearl-clutching for my taste. All well and good to create a monster who is turned evil by society, but the author really must trust the reader to understand this on their own, without little "this means, of course..." moralizing asides every five pages. However, if you can get past Shelley's distracting narrative lurches, the story itself is quite superb. Dracula, arguably *the* foundational vampire novel, is included here and shows off the diarist form of narration so popular at the time. ("Dear diary, you won't BELIEVE who just materialized in my room...") This is always an interesting tact for a horror novel because it can mean that the suspense is lost (if you're alive enough to write the diary entry, then where is the drama?) but Stoker bypasses this problem nicely - the race here is not to "stop the vampire" or "stay alive" but rather to hunt and destroy the vampire forever, before Mrs. Harker can be completely corrupted. The hunt is a superb one, although I am biased - Dracula is one of my favorite classics. Last, but never least, is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This short story is surprisingly short indeed, and it is a testament to how superbly the story is written that this short story has inspired so many movies and dramas. This is a wonderful addition to any collection and it is delightful that it is included here.

Trio of Horror

There is an introduction written by Stephen King but it adds some to the stories themselves as it places them within historical context. But if you are a first time reader of these stories be warned there are no footnotes, endnotes, or explanations of unfamiliar terms - so you could find yourself at a bit of a loss. The book contains the third edition of "Frankenstein" originally published in 1831, I understand from other readings that Shelley made some changes in the text itself. The third, and last, edition includes the introduction she finally wrote for the novel. For the experienced gothic reader or the novice willing to look up unfamiliar words, this book is a treasure as it has the three most famous and chilling gothic stories of the 19th century. Enjoy them thoroughly and chillingly.

TO DIE FOR!

Three classics books, three classic monsters, and three classic stories that have been told and retold time and time again, all here in one great book! I'm sure you Horror Film fans like me have seen the Boris Karloff Frankenstein, the Bela Lugosi Dracula, and the Fredric March Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but if you haven't read the original novels...YOU AIN'T SEEN OR READ NOTHING YET! Buy this book now, you won't regret it!