First published in 1826, The Last Man is a dystopian science fiction novel by Mary Shelley that depicts a future where a mysterious pandemic almost decimates the world’s population in the 21st century. Widely considered to be the first dystopian novel, it was unfavourably received when originally published and did not garner much popularity until the 1960s. A chilling prediction of the future by the progenitor of science fiction not to be missed by fans of the genre. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist most famous for writing the Gothic novel and early example of science fiction Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She was the wife of Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and philosopher and feminist activist Mary Wollstonecraft. Other notable works by this author include: The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (1830), Lodore (1835), and Falkner (1837). Read & Co. Classics is proudly republishing this vintage novel now in a brand new edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.