09-20-2007, 09:37 PM
Whether it was the first Gothic book ever written, I cannot say, but the first Gothic to be recognized as such was "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole. It started the Gothic frenzy in the 18th century, which has evolved over the years and seems to have remained popular even today. I only read it recently and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Gothics. Not only as a literary piece, but for pleasure-reading as well.