Celebrating in 2026: the 105th anniversary of the lost film Il Mostro di Frankenstein (1921); the 95th anniversary of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein (1931); the 60th anniversary of Dell Comics’ superhero version of Frankenstein (1966), Hanna Barbera’s television hero Frankenstein Jr, co-star of the series Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles (1966), and the films Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966) and The War of the Gargantuas (1966); the 55th anniversary of General Mills’ cereal mascot Franken Berry (1971); the 50th anniversary of the Saturday-morning television series Monster Squad (1976); the 45th anniversary of the anime film Kyofu Densetsu: Kaiki! Furankenshutain (1981); the 40th anniversary of Ken Russell’s film Gothic (1986) and Fred Saberhagen’s novel The Frankenstein Papers (1986); the 25th anniversary of Curtis Jobling’s picture book Frankenstein's Cat (2001); the 20th anniversary of Grant Morrision’s comic book series Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein (2006); the 15th anniversary of Nick Dear’s play Frankenstein (2011); the 10th anniversary of the Royal Ballet's production of Frankenstein (2016); and the release of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film Bride! (2026).

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Creatures of Fancy – Mary Shelley in Dundee (2019)

I recently came across this interesting collection from the Abertay Historical Society of Dundee, Scotland.

Creatures of Fancy – Mary Shelley in Dundee (2019)

£7.50; ISBN 978-0-900019-61-6

A book of essays exploring Mary Shelley’s time in Dundee, the influence it would have on her life and work, and the rapidly growing scientific and cultural life of the town in the early 19th century.

The book can be ordered directly from the Abertay Historical Society at https://abertay.org.uk/product/creatures-of-fancy-mary-shelley-in-dundee-2019/. There is also an associated presentation available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCOfld9m8j8&t=4s&ab_channel=AbertayHistoricalSociety. 


Description

CREATURES OF FANCY – MARY SHELLEY IN DUNDEE

Gordon Bannerman, Kenneth Baxter, Daniel Cook, Matthew Jarron


In June 1812 the future author of Frankenstein, Mary Godwin (later Mrs Percy Shelley), arrived in Dundee as a guest of the Baxter family. Her time in the rapidly developing town would have a significant influence on her – here for the first time she was inspired to become a writer.


This publication looks at Mary’s connections to Dundee through three separate essays, with a foreword by Billy Kay. In the first chapter, Gordon Bannerman describes the background to her visit, the connections between her family and that of textile merchant William Thomas Baxter, the friendship she developed with Baxter’s daughter Isabella and the subsequent influence of Isabella’s husband David Booth. All of this is considered in the context of the unique religious and political life of Dundee.


Mary’s visit coincided with notable developments in medicine and an increasing interest in studying nature and science, as well as a growth of popular literature and a new theatre for the town. In the second chapter, Matthew Jarron and Kenneth Baxter explore both the cultural and scientific life of Dundee at this time.


In the final chapter, Daniel Cook examines the depiction of Scotland in both Frankenstein and a later novel, The Last Man, showing that Mary’s experiences during her time here continued to have an impact on her work.


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