When Mary Shelley returned to England from the Continent in August 1823 and began writing short fiction in earnest, she was already a well-known figure on the English literary scene. She was the author of a children's book, Mounseer Nongtongpaw; or, The Discoveries of John Bull in a Trip to Paris (1808); a travel book, History of a Six Weeks' Tour through a Part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland, with Letters Descriptive of a Sail round the Lake of Geneva, and the Glaciers of Chamouni (1817); her masterpiece, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818); and a three-volume historical romance, Valperga: or, The Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (1823). Although she had not received substantial compensation for those works, she had developed a network of influential contacts who could help her in future efforts to supplement her income with the proceeds of her literary efforts. Widowed, and supporting her only...