Rare first edition of ‘Frankenstein’ sells for a monstrous amount

By Dean Murray via SWNS

A rare first edition of "Frankenstein" has sold for a monster $843,750.

Mary Shelley's classic tale of terror from 1818, also called The Modern Prometheus, was part of a sale of a library collection of William A. Strutz.

The noted collector, an attorney from Bismarck, North Dakota died in January at 89.

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions offered more than 225 books, letters and manuscripts from Strutz’s collection.

They included a signed first edition of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which went for $425,000.

Also under the hammer was a signed first edition copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 "The Hobbit", which achieved $300,000.

Francis Wahlgren, Heritage Auctions’ International Director of Rare Books & Manuscripts, says: "Strutz assembled one of the most important collections of English and American literature that has come on the market in decades.

"The collection is probably one of the few remaining great private libraries in America, formed over six decades.

"Sixty years of collecting is not frequently seen anymore, especially with his focus on depth and quality. Some of these books are so rare they’re likely never to be obtainable — or seen outside an institution — again.

"He was extraordinarily well-read — Strutz famously cited quotes from his vast collection during trials — and his books reflect that."

The Heritage Auctions sale ended June 27.

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