"Salem Press enlisted nineteenth-century literature expert and retired professor, Virginia Brackett, as editor of this 2016 publication. Brackett has written multiple books and her Mary Shelley: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work (Facts on File, 2012) will be a useful companion for those researching Shelley. Shelley and her works are central to studies of nineteenth-century English literature. Brackett details Shelley’s life, influences, and works; contributor essays complement theory with examples of how life experiences prompted themes in Shelley’s writing. Shelley is best known for her writing of Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus, but this book critiques many of Shelley’s works, giving a robust overview of her collective oeuvre. The opening information is a worthy introduction to Mary Shelley, followed by two sections of discourse, Critical Contexts and Critical Readings. The resources section at the end of the body of work includes six sections that expand research options with the “Chronology of Mary Shelley’s Life” and “Works by Mary Shelley” being most useful to those not familiar with the author. The Critical Contexts section situates Shelley as a writer who explored social mores and defied gender expectations. Critical Readings helps establish the legacy of Shelley. Critical Insights: Mary Shelley is an excellent source for teachers, professors, students, and scholars of nineteenth-century English writers. Highly recommended."