Aggravating ladies

What’s in a name?

Ask the booksellers, and they will tell you, much in the title-page of a new book.…

The making up of a taking title-page, seems to have been the peculiar province of the bookseller, time out of mind.—Fly leaves.… London [published and edited by] John Miller, 1854.

After a perusal of my list I think every gentleman will agree with me that Ladies really are very aggravating. It would be curious to hear the exclamation of any lady who has written as “A lady,” upon looking it over. She would probably exclaim that when she wrote as “A lady,” she thought she was the only one, or at all events one of the first.

The authoress of: “How to dress on £15 a year as a lady, by a lady,” would no doubt be surprised to find such a long list for the present century alone. I mention this flowing and somewhat vigorously written little work; but it is of too recent a date for me to make any enquiry for the author’s name, especially as it is a secret that, from the present popularity of the book, is not likely to be long kept.^[1] For I have remarked that though these ladies do not like placing their names on their books, yet there is little desire to disguise the authorship, and enquiries are generally soon satisfied if a work has attained any success. They like to see themselves in print, so long as there is no infringement of the patent of modesty.

The inference from this is that my list is composed chiefly of works that have not become famous or popular, which is the fact. If secresy were their object, it has to the present time been attained, for they have defied my researches. Nevertheless I believe that to some one of the author’s friends or relations she has been known, but “no man is a prophet in his own country,” and friends and relations very often care too little for what literary ladies are doing to follow Captain Cuttle’s advice and “make a note” of an author’s name. Knowledge is often the greatest enemy to the recording of facts. People often know so well whom a book is by, that they are not even aware of its pseudonimity. The majority of novel readers never know the name of the author, nor do they care to enquire, and much prefer reading a novel “By the author of” some previous work which has interested them.

In many cases I am asking for information which the authoresses do not conceal, and which is well known though unknown to me.

Thus I ascribe my not knowing the name of the author rather to the fact of there being no one to make a note of it when found, than any desire on the fair writer’s part to remain unknown. When a lady has written her first work as “a lady” she seldom adopts that denomination in her second work; but more frequently uses the term “By the author of” the previous work, or “By a lady, author of,” etc.