Shadows on the Wall

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930) was a prolific New England writer, whose works included children’s tales, historical novels and accounts of the supernatural. Her writing often espoused feminist beliefs and the rejection of traditional domestic roles for women. In 1926, she was awarded the first medal for Distinction in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Mike Ashley is the author and editor of more than 100 books, and is one of the foremost historians of popular fiction. His books include Adventures in The Strand (British Library, 2016), Out of This World, a brief illustrated history of science fiction (British Library, 2011), and The Age of Storytellers: British Popular Fiction Magazines 1880-1950 (British Library, 2005). Most recently he is the author of a multi-volume history of science fiction magazines, published by Liverpool University Press.