(CNN) – A copy of the first edition of the classic novel “Frankenstein” sold for $ 1.17 million at a recent auction in New York.
Christie’s, which organized the auction, estimated that the book would cost between $ 200,000 and $ 300,000. But by selling for nearly four to six times as much, the book set a record for the highest price paid for a work published by a woman, according to the magazine. Fine Books.
It was one of 500 copies originally printed and anonymously by author Mary Shelley in 1818.
It comes in three volumes and features the original hardcover. It also includes a preface by her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, along with a dedication to her father, William Godwin, a journalist and political philosopher.
This copy was the first to be auctioned since 1985.
The literary classic tells of a scientist who brings a corpse back to life, creating a creature that turns mischievous.