"Fear of age and death often creeps coldly into my heart; and the more I live, the more I dread death, even while I abhor life. Such an enigma is man--born to perish--when he wars, as I do, against the established laws of his nature."-Mary Shelley, "The Mortal Immortal" Dr. Frankenstein's monster is one of the most iconic figures in English literature, popularized through decades of writing, film, and comedy. In this anthology, scholar of the fantastic David Sandner explores the first hundred years of Frankenstein's influence. This collection of short stories and excerpts from work published between 1818 to 1918 demonstrates what a pioneering myth Frankenstein has always been--from the very day when lightning first struck and it opened its eyes on the world.