Mary Shelley Collected editions

Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851) was an English novelist, essayist, and editor whose creation of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus forged a new path in literature, blending Gothic horror with the philosophical questions of science and humanity. Written when she was just eighteen, the novel endures as both a chilling tale and a profound meditation on creation, responsibility, and the boundaries of human ambition.

The daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley grew up in a world of radical ideas and literary innovation. Her life was marked by passion and tragedy, from her elopement with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley to the loss of several children, experiences that shaped the emotional depth of her writing.

Beyond Frankenstein, she authored The Last Man, Valperga, Perkin Warbeck, and numerous travel writings and biographies, championing the legacies of her late husband and other Romantic figures. Today, Mary Shelley is celebrated as a visionary who not only helped define modern science fiction but also infused it with a uniquely human heart.