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Top 10 books published by an ‘anonymous’ author

By August 10, 2019Authors, Literature

Occasionally a book will be published without an author’s name attached- usually due to the sensitive or political nature of the book, or because the tales were so ancient and existed before the written word (a time none of us can surely imagine?!)

Here are our top ten books that had been originally published as an ‘anonymous’ author, for various reasons. Some authors have since owned up to their authorship, while others continue to use a pseudonym or the anonymous label, possibly for their own safety.

 

Arabian Nights was collated through the centuries by various authors, translated by many more, and studied by scholars across Asia and North Africa. Some of the stories can trace their roots back ancient Arabic, Persian, Indian, Greek, Jewish and Turkish folklore. The huge number of stories from all over those regions means this book has remained attributed to ‘anonymous’.

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is considered one of the most important works of Old English literature. The manuscript was produced between 975 and 1025, but it is said this isn’t the first print. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, known as the “Beowulf poet”.

This Arthurian story is a late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance. It is one of the better known Arthurian tales, combining two types of folk devices, the beheading game and the exchange of winnings. Written in stanzas of alliterative verse and is influenced by Welsh, Irish and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. It is an important example of a chivalric romance and remains popular in modern English reimaginings.

The tale of Frankenstein tells the story of a young scientist who creates a creature from parts of cadavers and animates him using electricity. Mary Shelley, the author, had originally published the story anonymously in 1818 when Shelley was 20, but the second edition published 5 years later had her named as author.

Tamerlane and Other Poems is the first published work by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, despite his publishing it anonymously. The collection was first published in 1827. It is said the poems were mostly inspired by Lord Byron, including the title poem “Tamerlane“, about an historical conqueror who grieves the loss of his first love. Today, it is believed only 12 copies of the collection still exist.

The Autobiography of a Flea is an erotic novel first anonymously published in 1887 in London by Edward Avery. Later research revealed the author was actually a London lawyer of the time named Stanislas de Rhodes. The story is narrated by a flea who tells the tale of a beautiful young girl named Bella, whose burgeoning sexuality is taken advantage of by those around her.

Go Ask Alice (1971) is a novel about a teenage girl who becomes addicted to drugs at 15 years old, runs away from home, and embarks on a journey of self-destructive escapism. Originally attributed to an anonymous author, the book was originally presented as being the “real diary” of an unnamed teenage girl. The book’s authenticity and authorship was questioned in the late 1970s, and it is now generally viewed as a work of fiction written by Beatrice Sparks, a therapist and author.

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics is a 1996 book published anonymously about the presidential campaign of a southern governor. It is a work of fiction based on real events and people (a roman á clef) about Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. It was later revealed that the author was columnist Joe Klein who also wrote a sequel, The Running Mate in 2000, focusing on Primary Colors character Charlie Martin.

Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook is a direct action guide created by a community of anarchists who remain anonymous, collectively called CrimethInc (a play on words ‘thought crime‘ taken from Orwell’s 1984). From affinity groups to wheat-pasting, coalition building, hijacking events, mental health, pie-throwing, shoplifting, stencilling, supporting survivors of domestic violence, surviving a felony trial, torches, and more.

Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror (2004) is a book originally published anonymously, but later revealed to have been written by a CIA veteran with 22 years service, Michael Scheuer, who ran the Counterterrorist Center’s bin Laden station from 1996 to 1999.

In a video released on the 7th of September 2007, Osama bin Laden remarked: “If you would like to get to know some of the reasons for your losing of your war against us, then read the book of Michael Scheuer in this regard.”

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