Description: A thrilling and gruesome look at the science that influenced Mary Shelley's classic Gothic novel, Frankenstein.
Brief description:
Kathryn Harkup is a former chemist turned author. She writes and gives regular public talks on the disgusting and dangerous side of science. Her first book was the international best-seller A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie, which was shortlisted for a Mystery Readers International Macavity Award and a BMA Book Award. She has also written Making the Monster: The Science of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts, and her latest book is Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond.
@RotwangsRobot
Review Quotes:
"'Lucidly illuminates Shelley's investment in the rapidly expanding knowledge of chemistry, biology and electricity of her times, and reminds us of how Frankenstein helped inspire technological developments, such as the pacemaker." --Wall Street Journal
"Making the Monster reassembles the intellectual toolkit Shelley had at her disposal ... everything she could have known about alchemy, spontaneous generation, phlogiston, physical decomposition, anatomy, transplant surgery, galvanism and human reanimation, digested for the 21st-century reader." --Literary Review "An engaging account of the facts and fears of the 19th century that lay behind the composition of Mark Shelley's Frankenstein. A telling reminder that although science has moved on, fears about what it might soon do have scarcely changed." --Steve Jones FRS, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at UCL, author and broadcaster "A fascinating and educational journey through the shadowy twists and turns of medical history. The odours of the dissection rooms and the sounds of the public executions are brought to life just as vividly as the monster himself." --Carla Valentine, Mortician and Pathology Museum Curator "The novel makes for both good entertainment reading and it's also a brilliantly conceived educational tool for understanding a broad swath of science and technology from the early 18th century." --Borg.com "Accompanying Harkup's eloquent prose are classic illustrations and artwork, a downright impressive timeline listing important historical events in relation to Mary's life, and a thorough bibliography for further reading. Making the Monster is a must-read for any diehard Frankenstein or Mary Shelley fan, as well as anyone passionate about picking apart the inspirations of great stories. If you thought Mary was extraordinary before, you'll appreciate her even more after reading this. It's a fitting tribute to the clever teenager who used her morbid, fertile imagination to give birth to one of the world's greatest monsters." --Criminal Element "This is not a dense, methodical treatise; it is engaging and interesting as well as informative. It illuminates for writers and readers the power of historical fact: what is known and believed in a particular period of time brings historical fiction to life." --Historical Novel Society