A collection of works by female authors who used male pseudonyms will be released using their real names.
The collection includes George Eliot’s work Middlemarch, which will be printed under her real name, Mary Ann Evans, for the first time.
25 titles are included in the collection, Reclaim Her Name, marking the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The library collection also features newly-commissioned cover art designed by women.
Other titles include A Phantom Lover, a gothic horror novel author Violet Paget published under ‘Vernon Lee’ and 19th French novel Indiana by Amantine Aurore Dupin who published under the pseudonym George Sand.
Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth and founder director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction said the collection was “a lovely way to celebrate” the 25th anniversary of the award.
She remarked how the collection is “empowering women, igniting conversations and ensuring they get the recognition they deserve”.
Liz Petry, whose mother’s book Marie of the Cabin Club is featured in the collection, was “honoured” to have been approached in honour of her mother, saying:
“I’m incredibly proud of my mother’s work and it excites me that her writing has been introduced to a new audience.”
The full collection can be downloaded as free e-books from the website of Baileys, the Women’s Prize for Fiction’s sponsor.
Physical box sets will also be donated to many libraries across the UK.
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