The Best of Mary Diana Dods: Collected Works from an Author Ahead of Their Time

Delve into the works and mystery of an LGBTQ+ author whom historians are still trying to unravel over 200 years later.

Previously known only as a quiet but intelligent wallflower friend of renowned author Mary Shelley, Mary Diana Dods is far from an ordinary 1700s daughter of an Earl.

Throughout their life, they lived under three identities. First was their birth name, Mary Diana Dods. Due to the negative opinions of women authors during this time, they adopted the pseudonym, David Lyndsay, which was the pen name under which they published the majority of their work. Most intriguing of all, they fully transitioned to an additional male identity of scholar and diplomat, Walter Sholto Douglas, for the latter part of their personal life.

Until Mary Shelley expert Betty T. Bennett’s research in 1991, it was believed that Dods, Lyndsay, and Sholto Douglas were all separate individuals. By studying a series of letters sent to Shelley, Bennett discovered that all correspondents were in fact the same person. Since this research, historians have been working tirelessly to uncover the truth behind the life of this groundbreaking author whom society has forgotten.

For the first time, David Lyndsay’s 1825 fairy tale collection, Tales of the Wild and the Wonderful, and their acclaimed fantasy work for Blackwood’s Magazine is p

Mary Diana Dods (1790-1830) was a Scottish author that published a wide variety of works including poetry, dramas, novels, and short stories. Their work appeared in several editions of Blackwood's Magazine as well as in other publications such as The Pledge of Friendship for 1828 and The Literary Pocket Book under the pseudonym, David Lyndsay. They also published a collection of fairy tale short stories in Tales of the Wild and the Wonderful and a book titled Dramas of the Ancient World. Mary Diana Dods lived under three identities throughout their life. The first was their birth name/identity, Mary Diana Dods. Due to the negative opinions of women authors during this time, they adopted the pseudonym, David Lyndsay. They published the majority of their work under this pen name. In their personal life, they lived under the male identity, Walter Sholto Douglas, a scholar and a diplomat. They were close friends with Mary Shelley and frequently corresponded with her through letters about both writing and their personal lives. They married Isabella Robinson who at that time was pregnant with a child out of wedlock. After Isabella's child was born, Walter Sholto Douglas took on the role of her father. It is still unclear to this day whether they married for love or to protect Isabella and her child from the prejudices they would face. In their late 30s, they suffered from liver disease as well as other unnamed mental and physical illnesses. This decline in health coincided with their separation from Isabella. After an entire lifetime of financial struggle and debt, Walter Sholto Douglas was sent to a debtor's prison. While there, they asked a friend to bring them whiskers and a moustache, suggesting that their desire for a male identity extended well beyond the societal benefits of being a man in the 1800s. Walter Sholto Douglas died in debtor's prison around the age of 40 due to medical complications, leaving behind only a legacy and a mystery.