Frankenstein's monster - let's just call him Frankenstein, as everyone does - has been a powerful and pervasive cultural icon for two centuries, scaring and entertaining both children and adults via a long progression of books and movies, both horrific and comedic, as well as in countless pictorial images. Even today your average 5-year-old could probably do a pretty good lurching, arms-outstretched imitation of the monster.

The creature first emerged in an anonymously published 1818 British novel called "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus," written by 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the pregnant wife-to-be of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The pair were visiting fellow poet Lord Byron in Geneva during a particularly dreary, cold and rainy summer. One night the housebound group, which included Mary's stepsister and Byron's physician, John William Polidori, after reading an anthology of ineptly written German ghost stories, was challenged by Byron to each compose a better scary story.

In the end, Shelley wrote nothing, Bryon produced a fragment of a vampire story, which inspired Dr. Polidori to later write "The Vampyre" (which, in turn, would influence Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula). Mary, after a restless night, conjured up Frankenstein, which took her nine months to finish. It wasn't until 1823, with the second edition, that Mary Shelley's name was attached to it, after it had already met with considerable success.

This account - greatly expanded - and a wealth of other fascinating material on the iconic monster can be found in Susan Tyler Hitchcock's recent book, "Frankenstein: A Cultural History" (W.W. Norton), ranging from the sources of Dr. Frankenstein's name to an image of a Frankensteinesque Alfred E. Newman on a Mad magazine cover.

The stylish, informative and thoroughly researched text explores the relevant science and technology of the time, the cultural implications of the original story and how it was reinvented and reimagined on stage and in films from the original silent version through the indelible Boris Karloff portrayal, to later incarnations such as "Young Frankenstein" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." A selection of well-chosen illustrations documents the evolution and influence of the icon over the years.

For collectors of Frankensteiniana there is a vast field of opportunity. Posters, lobby cards and stills relating to the movies are an obvious place to start. First, there were two early American silent films made in 1908 and 1916, and one in Italy, but most the iconic (it's hard to avoid that word) is the 1931 Hollywood film written by Robert Florey, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff (a minor actor whose distinctive eyes and bone structure attracted Whale in the studio commissary). The story strayed far from Mary Shelley's tale, but was a huge success, setting in stone the permanent look of the character and leading to a flood of sequels: "Bride of Frankenstein," "Son of Frankenstein," "Ghost of Frankenstein," etc., as well as such comedic takeoffs as "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."

In 1954, England's Hammer Studios remade the original story under the title "The Curse of Frankenstein," adding both color and gore, changing the benevolent Dr. Frankenstein into a ruthless villain, and leading to another spate of sequels. As late as 1994, Kenneth Branagh directed "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," starring - of all people - Robert De Niro as the creature.

In print, Frankenstein became a frequent figure seen in 19th century political cartoons. It was inevitable that he would become a comic book character, starting with Dick Briefer's 1940 cartoon version, which became the first horror comic, and in 1948 Frankenstein became a DC Comics character. After that it was anything goes, leading to a world populated by Frankenstein toys, games, costumes, ads and product packaging, stamps, pjs, lunch boxes - and even condoms.

Linda Rosenkrantz has edited Auction magazine and authored 18 books, including "Cool Names for Babies" and "The Baby Name Bible" (St. Martin's Press; www.babynamebible.com). She cannot answer letters personally.

Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com.

© Copley News Service