Middle Unearthed

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin; 30 August 1797 - 1 February 1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.After Wollstonecraft's death less than a month after her daughter Mary was born, Mary was raised by Godwin, who was able to provide his daughter with a rich, if informal, education, encouraging her to adhere to his own liberal political theories. When Mary was four, her father married a neighbour, with whom, as her stepmother, Mary came to have a troubled relationship.In 1814, Mary began a romance with one of her father's political followers, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. Together with Mary's stepsister Claire Clairmont, Mary and Shelley left for France and travelled through Europe. Upon their return to England, Mary was pregnant with Percy's child.In 1816, the couple famously spent a summer with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary conceived the idea for her novel Frankenstein. The Shelleys left Britain in 1818 for Italy, where Mary Shelley gave birth to a son. A year later, Mary Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author.

Before there was a lovable green ogre called Shrek and a bespeckled wizard named Harry Potter, there were the best fantasy short stories published in English during the first half of the nineteenth century.These 10 excellent stories were uncovered by awarding-winning editor Andrew Barger from old magazines and forgotten journals. Andrew provides a list, at the back of the collection, of the stories considered for the anthology. Andrew further includes background introductions to each story and author photos, where available. But his treatment of some of the earliest stories in the genre gets even better with annotations of the stories, which allows readers to peek behind the stories.Read the best fantasy short stories by some of the world's greatest authors, including Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens and Washington Irving.1836 "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton"(Charles Dickens)1839 "The Kelpie Rock"(Joseph Holt Ingraham)1831 "Transformation"(Mary Shelley)1819 "Rip Van Winkle"(Washington Irving)1824 "Lilian of the Vale"(George Darley)1835 "The Doom of Soulis"(John MacKay Wilson)1827 "The Dwarf Nose"(Wilhelm Hauff)1829 "Seddik Ben Saad the Magician"(D.C.)1845 "The Witch Caprusche"(Elizabeth F. Ellet)1837 "The Pale Lady"(George Soane)Fantasy Short Stories Considered