Pen Names by Kirsty Mchugh

Pen Names by Kirsty Mchugh

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Pen Names by Kirsty Mchugh

Writers publish under other names for a variety of reasons. Some use literary aliases in order to fit in while others employ them to stand out from the crowd. This book traces the history of pen names from the nineteenth century to the present day through forty novelists, poets and playwrights. These include famous pseudonymous writers such as George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), Currer Bell (Charlotte Brontë), Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) and George Orwell (Eric Blair), crime writers such as Josephine Tey and Nicci French, and those lesser-known writers whose real identities have been obscured behind their literary aliases. The book also explores the wide range of motivations for taking on new names, including gender, the use of noms de plume for different genres, or even when writing as a team. Collectively, the stories in this book give us unusual insights into authors, publishers and readers over the last 200 years.

Kirsty McHugh and Ian Scott are curators at the National Library of Scotland.

SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781851246496
ISBN 10 1851246495
Title Pen Names
Author Kirsty Mchugh
Condition Unavailable
Publisher Bodleian Library
Year published 2025-03-27
Number of pages 160
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.