Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her first novel, "Mary Barton", was published anonymously in 1848. The best-known of her remaining novels are "Cranford" (1853), "North and South" (1854), and "Wives and Daughters" (1865). Gaskell became popular for her writing, especially her ghost stories, aided by Charles Dickens, who published her work i...