Creating a beautiful physical book is a collaborative effort. The sensory aspects of pen and paper, the artistry of the cover and interior pages, the addition of an Afterword, and the rich, evocative voice of the audiobook narrator bring additional dimensions to an author’s creation.
A published book is a crafted object. with many hands working together to create something sublime.
Handwriting
Mary Shelley handwrote her draft of Frankenstein in a notebook. So, too, was Mademoiselle Frankenstein handwritten in a notebook, using a fountain pen. This kind of verisimilitude can transport a writer in time and mood, helping to bring a story to life.
Have you written your books using materials or props that helped propel you into your story?
Mary Shelley’s handwritten draft
Robin Solit’s handwritten draft
Cover Designer
Alejandro Colucci is an award-winning illustrator and book cover artist from London, Barcelona, and Rome. His work mainly focuses on fantasy, horror, dystopian fiction, and historical subjects. He has created hundreds of book illustrations, including new edition covers for authors such as Anne Rice, Isaac Asimov, Mario Puzo, H.G. Wells, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.G. Ballard, and others. His cover illustrations for Mademoiselle Frankenstein immediately allude to the tale within and establish an atmosphere of dread and horror.
Who is your favorite book cover designer? What covers have left you breathless? Why?
Alejandro Colucci
Front and back cover illustrations for Mademoiselle Frankenstein, without the typography
Interior Designer
Arjan van Woensel, born in the Netherlands but living in Mangawhai, New Zealand, is an award-winning book designer/art director. To design and typeset the interior of Mademoiselle Frankenstein, he turned to Mary Shelley’s historical precedent. All the elements of page design—such as placement of page numbers and title headings, font choice, layout and formatting—honor the beauty of the original publication of Frankenstein. As such, in keeping with the cover design, the book interior evokes the dream of another time, another place.
Have you seen books that likewise use interior design elements to establish a different reality? Which ones?
Arjan van Woensel
Frankenstein typesetting
Mademoiselle Frankenstein typesetting
Audiobook Narrator
London-based David Rintoul is one of Britain’s most experienced actors, with over fifty years in stage, movies, and television productions. His best-loved TV appearances include roles in Dr. Finlay, The Crown, Midsomer Murders, and memorably, Game of Thrones.
He has narrated over 300 audiobooks including, most recently, Mademoiselle Frankenstein, a welcome companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein audiobook, which David recorded in 2008.
Did you ever see David Rintoul as the sublimely snooty Mr. Darcy in the 1980 BBC production of Pride & Prejudice? Who do you think was the best Mr. Darcy ever?
David Rintoul
Afterword
Afterword essays are especially great for explaining a book’s cultural significance, impact on readers, and connections to other creative works. Classic novels (such as Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Crime and Punishment, etc.) often include an Afterword that discusses the book’s impact on the literary canon, society, other writers, and more.
Professor Gary Hoppenstand wrote the Afterword for Mademoiselle Frankenstein. He is a renowned scholar and professor who has dedicated his professional career to the study of popular culture. In addition to teaching, he has donated part of his remarkable collection of crime, detective, horror, and Western adventure novels to The Ray and Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University. These donations include a superb set of Shirley Jackson collectibles. Jackson is probably best known for her novel “The Haunting of Hill House” (1959) and short story “The Lottery” (1948).
Have you read Afterwords that illuminated a book in ways you might not have considered? Which ones?
Professor Gary Hoppenstand
Professor Hoppenstand’s Afterword
Literary critic Harold Bloom wrote an Afterword for this Signet Classics edition in 1965.