<P> The expanded novel was first published in 1966 by Harcourt Brace with the Bantam paperback following in 1968 . By 2004, it had been translated into 27 languages, published in 30 countries and sold more than 5 million copies . Since its original publication, the novel has never been out of print . </P> <P> The short story and the novel share many similar plot points, but the novel expands significantly on Charlie's developing emotional state as well as his intelligence, his memories of childhood, and the relationship with his family . </P> <P> The story is told through a series of journal entries written by the story's protagonist, Charlie Gordon, a man with a low IQ of 68 who works a menial job as a janitor in Donnegan's Plastic Box Company . He is selected to undergo an experimental surgical technique to increase his intelligence . The technique had already been successfully tested on Algernon, a laboratory mouse . The surgery on Charlie is also a success, and his IQ triples . </P> <P> He realizes that his co-workers at the factory, who he thought were his friends, only liked him to be around so that they could make fun of him . His new intelligence scares his co-workers, and they start a petition to have him fired, but when Charlie finds out about the petition, he quits . As Charlie's intelligence peaks, Algernon's suddenly declines--he loses his increased intelligence and mental age, and dies shortly afterward, to be buried in the back yard of Charlie's home . Charlie discovers that his intelligence increase is also only temporary . He starts to experiment to find out the cause of the flaw in the experiment, which he calls the "Algernon--Gordon Effect". Just when he finishes his experiments, his intelligence begins to regress to its state prior to the operation . Charlie is aware of, and pained by what is happening to him as he loses his knowledge and his ability to read and write . He tries to get his old job as a janitor back, and tries to revert to normal, but he cannot stand the pity from his co-workers, landlady, and Ms. Kinnian . Charlie states he plans to "go away" from New York and move to a new place . His last wish is that someone put flowers on Algernon's grave . </P>

Difference between flowers for algernon short story and novel