This Norton Critical edition includes: the 1826 edition by Henry Colburn, the only one approved by Mary Shelley. Introduction and explanatory notes by Chris Washington. A rich selection of contextual documents—twenty-six in total—relating to the background and sources of The Last Man, its reception and impact, as well as other related works by Shelley and the texts "The Last Man." Fourteen carefully selected critical evaluations on the main themes of the novel. A chronology of the life and work of Mary Shelley and a selected bibliography.