What happens when an Italian profligate makes a deal with an unusual magician? Mary Shelley today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Many, many thanks to all of our listeners and supporting members who help to keep us going. If you enjoy listening to The Classic Tales, please consider becoming a supporting member. By making a monthly donation of just $5, you’ll receive a corresponding thank-you code for an $8 discount off any audiobook order. Donate $10 a month or more, and you get a $17 discount. It’s a seriously great deal, and helps us to keep doing what we’re doing. Go now to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a member today. We’d like to thank Spotify for being a partnering sponsor. The Classic Tales Merchandise store: Today’s story begins with a quote from Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. App users can hear the entire epic poem in their special features. Do you love binging The Classic Tales Podcast? How about 36 hours of fantastic stories, curated and narrated for you? The Classic Tales Podcast, Season Five is now available for only $19.99 at our website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com. I’ve optimized the audiobook for listening on mobile devices. Each chapter or story has customized artwork, and you can easily navigate from story to story when you want to listen again. This artwork-enriched edition of the audiobook is only available at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com -you won’t be disappointed. Today’s story is by Mary Shelley. Many of you may be familiar with the story of how Frankenstein was created. Lord Byron had rented a house in Geneva, Switzerland, along with John Polidori, and Mary and Percy Shelley. It was dark and stormy the whole time. After a while, they had a contest to see who could write the best ghost story. John Polidori wrote “The Vampyre”, which was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And Mary Shelley wrote a short story called “Transformation”, which she later developed into the novel Frankenstein. I always felt I was missing something about the origin of Frankenstein. Knowing that it came from a short story, and was fleshed out makes more sense. That being said, it is anything but a watered down version of our favorite flat-topped monster. And now, Transformation, by Mary Shelley. Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter! Tap here to become an Erudite Troglodyte - The Classic Tales Merchandise store! Tap here to purchase Huckleberry Finn – the first Hybrid Audiobook