In this book, Betty T. Bennett offers an extensively expanded version of the introduction she wrote for Pickering and Chatto's eight volume set, . Along with her insightful retelling of Mary Shelley's eventful life story, Bennett gives us a fresh reading of in the context of its author's full career. She also discusses a variety of Mary Shelley's lesser known works, including , , and her travel books. The result is a compelling portrait of Mary Shelley as she saw herself—an inventive, irreverent writer whose desire for political and social reform was at the heart of her literary expression for three decades.