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Pen Names
(Kirsty McHugh & Ian Scott, Bodleian, £14.99)
Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book. The first is the review I sent in to the editor of Teach Secondary magazine. The second is what was actually published after sme relatively minor edits.
There’s not much to choose between them, but you may wish to think about which one you prefer, and why.
The review I submitted
All life is within these pages. Who might have guessed that behind an innocent-seeming name on a book cover could lie all manner of secrets. The case of the Brontës and other women is probably well-known. Male-sounding names made sense in an age when novel-writing was seen as not respectable, which shines a light on an aspect of social and economic history. But a pen name has been used in at least one instance when an author wanted to hide his royalties from his estranged wife: a topic to be discussed in PSHE perhaps? Many pen names are adopted for marketing reasons, such as when an author wishes to branch out into a completely different genre. And were you aware that the well-known author Nicci French is, in fact, two people? This slim volume provides unexpected insights into publishing, writers, and authors over the past two centuries. Highly recommended.
The review that was actually published
All life is contained within these pages – because who could have guessed that behind the innocent-seeming name on many a book cover lie all manner of secrets? The case of the Brontës is well-known – male-sounding writers’ names generally making more sense in an age when novel-writing wasn’t seen as being respectable, thus shining a light on important aspects of social and economic history at the time. But a pen name was also used in at least one case when an author wanted to hide his royalties from his estranged wife. Many other pen names have been adopted for marketing purposes – such as those times when an author wishes to branch out into a completely different genre. And were you aware that well-known author Nicci French is, in fact, two people? A slim, yet enjoyable volume, it’s a treasure trove of unexpected insights into the storied history of the publishing industry.
This book was first reviewed in Teach Secondary magazine.