Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, one pp of advertisement at the front, rebound in maroon cloth, title in gold along spine, 8vo, London, Longmans, Green and co., 1886

One of the most famous Gothic Novella of the 19th Century, with such a great impact the ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ has entered our vernacular. The conception of the book is famous, coming to Stevenson in a dream. Fanny, Stevenson’s wife, woke him believing he was having a nightmare.

“He said angrily: “Why did you wake me? I was dreaming a fine bogey tale.” I had awakened him at the first transformation scene”[Balfour, biographer]

He wrote the first draft with incredible speed, completing it in a matter of days. As always, his wife offered criticism in the margins, which included an observation that this was actually an allegory. Stevenson allegedly burnt his original manuscript in response and began re-writing it as an allegory. After being published it was released as a Penny Dreadful in the US 4 days before it was available in the UK. This work wasn’t successful in Britain until the review by The Times on the 25th of January 1886. Although Stevenson was originally drawn to the horror of the tale, he became intrigued with how human personalities reflect good and evil. As such his contemporary demographic was more concerned with art and theology than with fiction. Since the year it was published, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has been a staple for the stage, and eventually the screen.