(CNN) -
A copy of the first edition of the classic novel "Frankenstein" sold for $ 1.17 million at a recent auction in New York.
Christie's, which organized the auction, estimated that the book would cost between $ 200,000 and $ 300,000.
But by selling for nearly four to six times as much, the book set a record for the highest price paid for a work published by a woman, according to
Fine Books
magazine
.
It was one of 500 copies originally printed and anonymously by author Mary Shelley in 1818.
The book set a record for the highest price paid for a work published by a woman.
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It comes in three volumes and features the original hardcover.
It also includes a preface by her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, along with a dedication to her father, William Godwin, a journalist and political philosopher.
This copy was the first to be auctioned since 1985.
The literary classic tells of a scientist who brings a corpse back to life, creating a creature that turns mischievous.
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Frankenstein