The Doctor Edition of Frankenstein attempts to incorporate the spirit of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his (mis)deeds. It is quarter-bound in finest goatskin black leather and aluminium. The use of aluminium was inspired by an operating table and therefore a real surgeon’s needle was blocked onto the front cover. The spine is blocked in sliver, while the detailing on aluminium is engraved with laser. There are eight illustrations inside (two spreads) that are sensitive to heat, so they transform upon touch, which means each illustrations has two phases. It comes in a solander box that was inspired by a doctor’s tool bag from that era.

Limited to 300 numbered and signed copies.

Signed by Marko Matijašević (creative concept) and Yana Adamović (illustrations).

Cased in solander box bound in a material made of 85% genuine leather fibres with metal plate on the spine.

Purple velvet inside the solander box.

Quarter-bound in finest black goatskin leather (sourced from Didier Lieutard in France) and aluminium.

Spine blocked in silver foil.

Silver page edges.

Handmade cellular pattern marbled endpapers by Freya Scott.

Printed offset on Fedrigoni Savile Row 100g paper.

Eight full page coloured illustrations (two spreads).

Each illustration screen printed by hand with thermochromic ink to give it two phases sensitive to warm touch (it is completely reversible, below you can read more on how and under what conditions this ink works).

Illustrated drop caps for every chapter.

Smyth sewn with black thread.

Several hidden design details.

Bookmark in shape of a doctor’s scalpel.

The Doctor Edition aims to represent the ambitious doctor and elements of his profession. It is limited to 300 numbered and signed copies, and it has several features that make it quite unique. Since we wanted to create two distinct editions, they share a deep connection, just like the doctor and its creation.

The covers are inspired by an operating table and that is why we used aluminium as the main feature, which is then quarter-bound in the finest black leather, and then the spine was blocked with silver foil. Most importantly a real surgeon’s needle was blocked on the front cover, while other details were engraved with laser. The goal was to have covers that can proudly claim the title of The Doctor Edition.

Once you open the book, you’ll be met by handmade marbled endpapers done by the legendary Freya Scott. They were done in a cellular pattern so to make one additional connection with Victor’s profession. When you reach the title, you will find a hidden surprise in the book’s title.

But the creative concept for this title is where the book truly shines. It is based upon our insight that this is a story about connection, or rather the lack thereof. The Monster is constantly trying to connect with people. It is smart, caring, hungry for companionship. Yet, despite this desire, it is constantly denied all of it. Each of the illustration in its original state represents the moments in story where the Monster interacted with humans and how it was chased and cast away. But each of these illustrations are screen printed by hand and is only the first phase of the illustration. Once you touch the monster, the ink becomes transparent and reveals the real offset printed illustration below, that gives you a glimpse into how the story could have ended then and there if people in question accepted the Monster. The two phases of the illustrations were quite challenging to do, because the overlap had to make sense in both phases, and the extremely talented illustrator Yana Adamović did a stupendous job in achieving that.

As you go through the chapters, you’ll see there are beautiful drop caps designed for each chapter and once you need a break from reading, you can use the bookmark shaped like a scalpel to “cut” into the monster and mark your spot.

The book comes in a solander box that is made to look like a doctor’s tool bag from that era, so once you open it you’re met with rich velvet interior where the book is safely tucked away.

As previously mentioned, the whole run has 300 numbered copies, with a few additional publisher’s copies for the key participants of the projects that will never go to sale, making this a true rarity.

Production and Materials

For this edition of Frankenstein we had to consider some unusual materials to make something as unique as this.

The solander box is bound in a material made of 85% genuine leather fibres and it features a metal plate with the title on the spine. Inside it is lined with that same recycled leather material and purple velvet so it can be truly protected from outside influence.

The book is quarter-bound in finest black goatskin leather with an aniline finish, sourced from Didier Lieutard in France, and features aluminium covers with a surgeon’s needle safely blocked on the front. The spine is blocked in silver foil.

Marbled endpapers were handmade using numerous colours, some of them metallic, to achieve a cellular pattern, as if one was looking through the microscope. The book was printed offset on Fedrigoni Savile Row 100g paper, giving it a rich feel full of texture. After printing each illustration had thermochromic ink screen printed over the illustrations to give it two phases that react to warmth. The ink is set to react at 25 degrees celsius, so bear in mind that in extremely cold conditions it will hardly react to human warmth (or if you have cold hands). Likewise, should the temperature in the room run high, the ink will react by itself. However, as soon as conditions change, it will return to its original state so it is completely reversible. In any normal circumstances (living temperature conditions) the book should look as intended and react to human touch or gentle rubbing since friction will generate heat. When the heat dissipates, it will revert back to black. Also worth noting is that since each of these were screen printed by hand, the overlap is not always perfect, nor is it intended like that. Instead, we wanted to achieve this blend of situations, giving you glimpse into an alternative story that portrays the power of human touch.

Finally, the book was smyth sewn with black thread, then glued afterwards to provide for maximum durability. As always, to ensure the best reading experience, we used the beautiful and versatile Brioni typeface.

The scalpel bookmark was produced from a special metallic paper with embossing on both sides.

All of these details make this a truly unique edition of Frankenstein.