On the shores of Lake Geneva, in the Year Without a Summer, Mary Shelley would first conceive her most famous monster and begin writing "Frankenstein". "History of a Six Weeks’ Tour" tells the story of that fateful journey: a travel catalogue by Mary Shelley that recounts her two trips to Europe in 1814 and 1816 alongside Percy Bysshe Shelley and the rakish Lord Byron. From post-Napoleonic France, to the sublime landscapes of Switzerland, Shelley provides a captivating account of the beautiful natural surroundings as well as offering insightful commentary upon the lives and traditions of the countries they visit. A perfect read ahead of the movie adaptation "Poor Things", starring a Frankenstein-esque Emma Stone, "History" gives insight into the lives of the Romantics and the grandeur of the world around them.
Mary Shelley was a renowned English novelist, essayist, and editor of prose and poetry alike. Daughter of feminist activist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley is today recognised as one of the major Romantic figures within the male-dominated literary period. Best known for her 1818 Gothic masterpiece "Frankenstein", her works include the apocalyptic novel "The Last Man" and the historical narrative "Valperga". Despite her prolific career, she was mostly remembered as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the leading names in English Romanticism.
