Matthew Gregory Lewis (9 July 1775 ? - 14 or 16 May 1818) was an English novelist and dramatist, whose writings are often classified as "Gothic horror". He was frequently referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his 1796 Gothic novel, The Monk. He also worked as a diplomat, politician, and an estate owner in Jamaica. M. G. Lewis' first published gothic romance novel, The Monk, (his first written novel, The Effusions of Sensibility, was never finished) appeared in 1796 to great acclaim. "To exaggerate the success and scandal of The Monk were impossible. Lewis at once became famous, and a celebrity he remained" (Summers, The Gothic Quest, p. 212. As time passed, the ring of acclaim turned to a tone of criticism. Rather than famous, Lewis became "infamous" and his once "artfully contrived" novel became "lewd" and regarded with the sternest disapproval. Even so, Lewis remained popular and published prolifically to delight of his established readers. His macabre gothic romance interests took the form of plays and poems, as well as, novels. In 1808 he published this book, The Romantic Tales, which "became very popular, and the book was more than once reprinted.."(Summers, A Gothic Bibliography, p. 485). With old ex libris of Margaret Anne Jeffray