The first edition of Frankenstein was printed in 500 copies. Published anonymously on 1 January 1818, the novel appeared in three volumes, following the fashionable “triple-decker” format used by British circulating libraries.
The publisher was Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, a London firm. Mary Shelley’s name did not appear on the title page, although Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote the preface and the book was dedicated to Mary’s father, philosopher William Godwin.
The modest print run reflected the uncertain prospects of an anonymous Gothic novel by a young, largely unknown writer. Frankenstein became increasingly successful through reviews, word of mouth, stage adaptations, and later editions. The 1823 English edition credited Mary Shelley, while the substantially revised 1831 edition helped establish the version many modern readers know.
The 500-copy figure refers to the initial edition, not every copy ultimately printed. It is also distinct from the number of volumes: each copy contained three volumes, so the press produced 1,500 individual physical volumes for the first run.