Auction house Heritage Auctions announced the sale of a rare copy of the first edition of the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley for 843 thousand USD. The book, published in 1818, is one of three surviving copies with its original pink cover, writes pravilamag.ru.

The sold copy belonged to the private collector William Strutz, who acquired it in 1975. Strutz, who began collecting rare books as a student, amassed an impressive collection of about 15 thousand publications during his life.

Other valuable items from the Strutz collection were also sold at the same auction. The first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby”, autographed by the author, went under the hammer for 425 thousand USD, setting a record for this work. A signed copy of the first edition of J.R.R Tolkien's “The Hobbit” sold for 275 thousand USD.

The total proceeds from the sale of the Strutz collection exceeded 5 million USD. Francis Wahlgren, International Director of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Heritage Auctions, said the sale was the culmination of 60 years of work by one collector, highlighting William Strutz's outstanding contributions to literary preservation.