Born in London, on August 30, 1797, as Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Mary Shelley was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer. Best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), Mary wrote several others including Valperga (1823), a historical novel, and The Last Man (1826), a science fiction tale. She also edited and promoted her husbandâ (TM)s poetry, preserving his place in literary history. Mary wrote numerous articles and stories for various magazines and journals, including the London Magazine, the Westminster Review, and The Keepsake. In 1830, her fourth novel The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck: A Romance was published and in 1837 was published her last novel Falkner. She published numerous essays for Lardnerâ (TM)s Lives of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men which formed a part of his Cabinet Cyclopaedia. In 1839, she published a four-volume edition of Percy Shelleyâ (TM)s Poetical Works. Mary Shelley died on February 1, 1851, in London. Amongst her numerous works, the classic tale of Frankenstein remains her lasting legacy.
