The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Original Novella by Robert Louis Stevenson—Annotated and Contextualized

Since its publication in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has become one of the most influential works of Gothic fiction ever written. Its exploration of identity, morality, and the divided self has shaped literature, psychology, and popular culture for more than a century. Yet the novella Stevenson created is richer, stranger, and more deeply rooted in the world of Victorian Britain than many readers realize.

Behind the story of Dr. Jekyll and Edward Hyde lies a world of scientific discovery, medical experimentation, religious belief, social respectability, and growing uncertainty about the nature of human identity. Stevenson drew upon the intellectual and cultural currents of late nineteenth-century Britain to create a tale that continues to provoke, disturb, and fascinate modern readers.

This historical and literary edition features more than 40 annotations that illuminate the people, places, institutions, and ideas behind the novella. Discover the realities of Victorian London, the scientific and medical debates that shaped the age, the legal and social world inhabited by Jekyll and Utterson, and the historical context behind one of literature’s most enduring explorations of human nature.

Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a Gothic masterpiece. Explore it as a window into Victorian society. Encounter it as Robert Louis Stevenson’s first readers never could.

Includes: Editorial Introduction • 40+ Annotations • Further Reading