Mary Shelley Reading Order
6 series · 128 books · Born 1797-08-30
Mary Shelley was a pioneering British author whose 1818 novel Frankenstein established her as a master of Gothic horror and remains one of literature's most enduring works. Beyond her famous monster tale, she was a prolific writer across multiple genres including essays, travel narratives, biographies, and short stories, while also championing the literary legacy of her husband, the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Born into a family of influential thinkers—her mother was the feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft and her father the political theorist William Godwin—Shelley blended philosophical inquiry with imaginative storytelling throughout her career.
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Anthologies Series
Complete18 books (1931–2020)
This 17-book anthology series spanning from 1931 to 2019 collects classic and contemporary short stories across fantasy, horror, and related genres. The series is now complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror. Titles like 50 Halloween Stories You Have to Read Before You Die, The Mammoth Book of Body Horror, and Mary Shelley Horror Stories showcase the range of supernatural and macabre fiction featured throughout the collection.
Start with Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror, the first of 17 books in the Anthologies series.
Start this series with Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror
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Gothic Fantasy Series
Ongoing95 books (1667–2026)
This 91-book Gothic Fantasy anthology series spans from 1667 to 2026 and is ongoing, collecting stories and poems across fantasy, horror, and related genres. Beginning with John Milton's Paradise Lost and progressing through works by Lewis Carroll, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Allan Poe, the series continues with themed anthologies covering ghost stories, science fiction, crime, dystopia, steampunk, espionage, and heroic fantasy. The series should be read in publication order, moving sequentially through the collections to experience the breadth of gothic and speculative fiction traditions. With 79 additional volumes beyond those listed, this comprehensive anthology series remains active and expanding.
Start with Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton), the first of 91 books in the Gothic Fantasy series.
Start this series with Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton)
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| 4 |  Chilling Ghost Short Stories(By: Charles Dickens,Arthur Conan Doyle,Edgar Allan Poe,Robert Louis Stevenson,Wilkie Collins,Nikolai Gogol,J. Sheridan Le Fanu,E. Nesbit,Henry James,W.W. Jacobs,Oscar Wilde,Washington Irving,Edith Wharton,M.R. James,James Dorr,E.F. Benson,Mary E. Wilkins Freeman,Amanda C. Davis,Robert W. Chambers,Kurt Bachard,Raymond Little,Brian Rappatta,Tim Foley,Vonnie Winslow Crist,Michael Penkas,Jonathan Balog,Donna Cuttress,Luke Murphy,Annette Siketa,Philip Brian Hall,Rhiannon Rasmussen,Jeff Parsons,M.Regan,Zach Chapman,Lesa Pascavis Smith,Trevor Boelter,Laura Bulbeck,Dale Townshend,Cathy Smith) |
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| 6 |  Science Fiction Short Stories(By: David Tallerman,Rachael K. Jones,Sarah Hans,Brian Trent,Adrian Ludens,Keyan Bowes,Beth Cato,Andy Sawyer,Zach Shephard,Alexis A. Hunter,M. Darusha Wehm,Edward Ahern,Patrick Tumblety,Donald Jacob Uitvlugt,Kate O'Connor,Conor Powers-Smith,Stewart C. Baker,MikeMorgan,Nemma Wollenfang,Jacob M. Lambert,Laura Bulbeck,Rob Hartzell) |
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| 21 |  Alien Invasion Short Stories(By: H.G. Wells,H.P. Lovecraft,Jonathan Swift,A. Merritt,Voltaire,Claude Lalumière,Rich Larson,Rachael K. Jones,George Allan England,Patrick Parrinder,Austin Hall,William R.D. Wood,John Walters,Bo Balder,Maria Haskins,Garrett P. Serviss,Sunil Patel,Jennifer Rachel Baumer,Laura Pearlman,Robert Potter,Tim Pieraccini,Angus McIntyre,Suo Hefu,George Chesney,Stephen G. Parks,Eric Reitan,S.A. Westerley) |
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| 31 |  Robots & Artificial Intelligence Short Stories(By: George Cotronis,Rich Larson,Rachael K. Jones,Bruce Golden,Holly Lyn Walrath,Monte Lin,Eleanor R. Wood,David Sklar,Nemma Wollenfang,Deborah Davitt,Trixie Nisbet,Luke Dormehl,Roan Clay,Jeff Deck,Christopher Geeson,Rob Hartzell,Nathaniel Hosford,Chloie Piveral,Claire Sorrenson,Sara Uckelman) |
| 32 |  American Gothic Short Stories(By: Ramsey Campbell,Lucy A. Snyder,Lina Rather,Sean Logan,Wendy Nikel,Christi Nogle,Lynette Mejía,Madison McSweeney,Russell James,M.Regan,Monika Elbert,Terri Bruce,Maxx Fidalgo,Joshua Hiles,Clayton Kroh,Joe Nazare,Rebecca Ring,Mike Robinson,Valerie B. Williams,Nemma Wollenfang) |
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| 34 |  Cosy Crime Short Stories(By: Arthur Conan Doyle,E.E. King,G.K. Chesterton,R. Austin Freeman,Arnold Bennett,Edgar Wallace,Arthur Morrison,Martin Edwards,Ernest Bramah,Maurice Leblanc,Amanda C. Davis,Stephanie Bedwell-Grime,Emmuska Orczy,Israel Zangwill,Anna Katharine Green,Catherine Louisa Pirkis,Flame Tree Studio,Andrew Forrester,Nancy Sweetland,Jeffrey B. Burton,Louise Taylor,Annette Siketa,Philip Brian Hall,Tom Mead,C.B. Channell,Michael Martin Garrett,Trixie Nisbet,Joshua Boyce,Sarah Holly Bryant,Gregory Von Dare,B. David Spicer,Elise Warner,Anton Chekhov) |
| 35 |  Haunted House Short Stories(By: Edgar Allan Poe,O. Henry,Elizabeth Gaskell,J. Sheridan Le Fanu,Guy de Maupassant,E. Nesbit,Rudyard Kipling,Ramsey Campbell,Ambrose Bierce,W.W. Jacobs,H.P. Lovecraft,Mark Twain,Edith Wharton,Mary Elizabeth Braddon,Charlotte Perkins Gilman,M.R. James,Charlotte Eliza Riddell,E.F. Benson,William Hope Hodgson,Mary E. Wilkins Freeman,Edward Bulwer-Lytton,John Everson,Arthur Quiller-Couch,Rhoda Broughton,Bernard Capes,Gwendolyn Kiste,Hugh Walpole,Ralph Adams Cram,Mikal Trimm,Mrs. Oliphant,Zach Shephard,B.M. Croker,Shannon Fay,Morgan Sylvia,Kurt Newton,Tom English,Adele Gardner,Rebecca Buchanan,Rebecca Janicker,H.B. Diaz,Marina Favila,Bill Kte'pi,M.Regan) |
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| 38 |  Urban Crime Short Stories(By: Ramsey Campbell,Josh Pachter,Judi Calhoun,David Tallerman,Rich Larson,Meg Elison,Dan Micklethwaite,Thana Niveau,Michael Penncavage,T.J. Berg,Chris Wheatley,Alexandra Renwick,Leo X. Robertson,K.W. Roberts,Rachel Watts,Jennifer Quail,Trixie Nisbet,Christopher P. Semtner,C.L. McDaniel,Salinda Tyson) |
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| 47 |  Lovecraft Mythos New & Classic Collection(By: Robert Bloch,Ramsey Campbell,Ambrose Bierce,H.P. Lovecraft,Fritz Leiber,Henry Kuttner,Hal Bodner,Clark Ashton Smith,William Browning Spencer,Mark Samuels,Robert E. Howard,Victor LaValle,Frank Long,Lord Dunsany,Arthur Machen,Caitlín R. Kiernan,Robert W. Chambers,Nancy Kilpatrick,JG Faherty,Rachael K. Jones,Cody Goodfellow,Evey Brett,John Llewellyn Probert,Zealia Bishop,Hazel Heald,Jonathan Thomas,Donald Tyson,Thana Niveau,Douglas Wynne,Helen E. Davis,N.R. Lambert,Scott R. Jones,Gillian Whitaker,Nick Wells,Taylor Bentley,Catherine Taylor,Caroline Watson,August E. Derleth,John Possidente,R.S. Stefoff) |
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| 49 | Witches, Wizards, Seers & Healers Myths & Tales(By: Abbie Farwell Brown,Andrew Lang,Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Joseph Jacobs,Yei Theodora Ozaki,Douglas Hyde,Thomas Malory,Jeremiah Curtin,Henry Rowe Schoolcraft,Lewis Spence,Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford,James Mooney,Charles Godfrey Leland,Florence Holbrook,E.A. Wallis Budge,Richard Wilhelm,F. Hadland Davis,Norman Hinsdale Pitman,Yi Ryuk,Charles Montgomery Skinner,Edmund Leamy,Sophia Morrison,William Elliot Griffis,James Scarth Gale,Elphinstone Dayrell,Alice Werner,M.I. Ogumefu,William Butler Yeats,Diane Purkiss,George W. Bateman,Elsie Finnimore Buckley,Margaret Compton,Jonathan Ceredig Davies,George Douglas,Alice Elizabeth Dracott,George Grey,Francis Hindes Groome,H.A. Guerber,Eleanor Hull,W.F. Kirby,Ignác Kúnos,Minnie Martin,Frederick H. Martens,W.R.S. Ralston,A.G. Seklemian,Chauncy Hugh Stigand,J.R. Walker,E.T.C. Werner,William Drake Westervelt,Lady Wilde,Albert Henry Wratislaw) |
| 50 | Witches, Wizards, Seers & Healers Myths & Tales(By: Abbie Farwell Brown,Andrew Lang,Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Joseph Jacobs,Yei Theodora Ozaki,Douglas Hyde,Thomas Malory,Jeremiah Curtin,Henry Rowe Schoolcraft,Lewis Spence,James Mooney,Charles Godfrey Leland,Florence Holbrook,E.A. Wallis Budge,Richard Wilhelm,F. Hadland Davis,Norman Hinsdale Pitman,Yi Ryuk,Charles Montgomery Skinner,Edmund Leamy,Sophia Morrison,William Elliot Griffis,James Scarth Gale,Elphinstone Dayrell,Alice Werner,M.I. Ogumefu,William Butler Yeats,Diane Purkiss,George W. Bateman,Elsie Finnimore Buckley,Margaret Compton,Jonathan Ceredig Davies,George Douglas,Alice Elizabeth Dracott,George Grey,Francis Hindes Groome,H.A. Guerber,Eleanor Hull,W.F. Kirby,Ignác Kúnos,Minnie Martin,Frederick H. Martens,W.R.S. Ralston,A.G. Seklemian,Chauncy Hugh Stigand,J.R. Walker,E.T.C. Werner,William Drake Westervelt,Lady Wilde,Albert Henry Wratislaw) |
| 51 | Black Sci-Fi Short Stories(By: K. Tempest Bradford,Russell Nichols,Wole Talabi,W.E.B. Du Bois,Tara Campbell,Walidah Imarisha,James Beamon,Martin R. Delany,Sandra M. Grayson,Patty Nicole Johnson,Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins,Temi Oh,Michelle F. Goddard,Tia Ross,Harambee K. Grey-Sun,Sutton E. Griggs,Emmalia Harrington,Edward Johnson,Megan Pindling,Sylvie Soul,Lyle Stiles) |
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Non-Fiction Series
Complete1 book (1987–1987)
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete5 books (1831–1959)
This complete collection of five short stories and novellas by Mary Shelley spans from 1831 to 1959 and should be read in publication order. The series includes The Invisible Girl and The Dream, Transformation, The Pilgrims, The Heir of Mondolfo, and Matilda, showcasing Shelley's work across fantasy, horror, and non-fiction genres. Begin with The Invisible Girl and The Dream as the opening entry in this compilation of her shorter fictional works.
Start with The Invisible Girl, and The Dream, the first of 5 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.
Start this series with The Invisible Girl, and The Dream
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
Short Story Collections Series
Complete2 books (1831–1993)
Mary Shelley's short story collections comprise two volumes spanning from 1831 to 1993. These fantasy and horror works should be read in publication order, beginning with The Mortal Immortal followed by The Mourner and Other Stories. The complete series offers a curated selection of Shelley's shorter fiction across more than a century of publication.
Start with The Mortal Immortal and read in order.
Start this series with The Mortal Immortal
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
Standalone Novels Series
Complete7 books (1818–1998)
Mary Shelley's seven standalone novels span from 1818 to 1998 and should be read in publication order, beginning with the gothic classic Frankenstein. Each novel stands independently, allowing readers to explore Shelley's diverse works across fantasy, horror, and non-fiction genres at their own pace. The complete series includes The Last Man, The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, Lodore, Falkner, Proserpine and Midas, and Maurice, or The Fisher's Cot.
Start with Frankenstein, the first of 7 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Start this series with Frankenstein
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Mary Shelley written?
- Mary Shelley has written 128 books across 6 series. Their published works span from 1667 to 2026.
- What is the first book in each Mary Shelley series?
- Here are the first books in Mary Shelley's series: Anthologies: Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror; Gothic Fantasy: Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton); Short Stories/Novellas: The Invisible Girl, and The Dream; Short Story Collections: The Mortal Immortal.
- What order should I read Mary Shelley's books?
- We recommend reading Mary Shelley's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Mary Shelley still writing new books?
- Yes, Mary Shelley has 1 ongoing series: Gothic Fantasy.