Throughout the

history of literature The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry that attempt to provide entertainment or education to the reader, as well as the development of the literary techniques used in the communication of these pie ...

, since the creation of bound texts in the forms of books and

codices The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

, various works have been published and written anonymously, often due to their political or controversial nature, or merely for the purposes of the privacy of their authors, among other reasons. This article provides a list of literary works published anonymously, either explicitly attributed to "

Anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

", or published with no specific author's name given. A work that is published anonymously differs from works published under a pseudonym. Not included in this list are works which predate the advent of publishing and general attribution of authorship, such as ancient written inscriptions (such as hieroglyphic or pictographical, transcribed texts), certain historical folklore and myths of oral traditions now published as text, and reference or plain texts (letters, notes, graffiti) recovered archaeologically, which are otherwise unimportant to literary studies.

Religious texts Religious texts, including scripture, are Text (literary theory), texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, ...

and

grimoires A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of Magic (supernatural), magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical Incan ...

, which are often written anonymously, may appear, along with works initially written anonymously whose authors are now known. This list is ordered alphabetically by title.

Works predating the Common Era

Ancient Mesopotamian works

* ''

Debate between bird and fish The "Debate between bird and fish" is an essay written in the Sumerian language on clay tablets, dating back to the mid to late 3rd millennium BC. It belongs to the genre of Sumerian disputations, Sumerian disputation. Genre Six Sumerian disput ...

'' * '' Enûma Eliš'' * '' Hurrian hymn to Nikkal'' * Inscriptions at Tell Abu Salabikh ** ''

Instructions of Shuruppak __NOTOC__ The Instructions of Shuruppak (or, ''Instructions of Šuruppak son of Ubara-tutu'') are a significant example of Sumerian wisdom literature. Wisdom literature, intended to teach proper piety, inculcate virtue, and preserve community s ...

'', attributed to the historically debatable

Shuruppak Shuruppak ( , SU.KUR.RUki, "the healing place"), modern Tell Fara, was an ancient Sumerian city situated about 55 kilometres (35 mi) south of Nippur and 30 kilometers north of ancient Uruk on the banks of the Euphrates in Iraq's Al-Qādisiy ...

* '' Kesh Temple Hymn'' * Mesopotamian City Laments ** ''

Lament for Ur The Lament for Ur, or Lamentation over the city of Ur is a Sumerian lament composed around the time of the fall of Ur to the Elamites and the end of the city's third dynasty (c. 2000 BC). Laments It contains one of five known Mesopotamian ...

'' ** '' Lament for Sumer and Ur'' ** '' Lament for Nippur'' ** '' Lament for Eridu'' ** '' Lament for Uruk'' * Eridu Genesis

Ancient Egyptian works

* Ancient Egyptian funerary texts ** '' Coffin Texts'' ** New Kingdom funerary texts *** ''

Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...

'' *** '' Amduat'' *** '' Spell of the Twelve Caves'' *** '' The Book of Gates'' *** '' Book of the Netherworld'' *** ''

Book of Caverns A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

'' *** '' Book of the Earth'' *** '' Litany of Re'' *** ''Book of the Heavens'' ** ''

Pyramid Texts The Pyramid Texts are the oldest ancient Egyptian funerary texts, dating to the late Old Kingdom. They are the earliest known corpus of ancient Egyptian religious texts. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved onto the subterranea ...

'' * Ancient Egyptian medical papyri

Other works

* ''

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...

'' * ''The Aesop Romance''

Early classics

* ''

Cantar de Mio Cid ''El Cantar de mio Cid'', or ''El Poema de mio Cid'' ("The Song of My Cid"; "The Poem of My Cid"), is an anonymous '' cantar de gesta'' and the oldest preserved Castilian epic poem. Based on a true story, it tells of the deeds of the Castilian h ...

'' * ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translat ...

'' * '' De Dubiis Nominibus'' *

Dresden Codex The ''Dresden Codex'' is a Maya book, which was believed to be the oldest surviving book written in the Americas, dating to the 11th or 12th century. However, in September 2018 it was proven that the Maya Codex of Mexico, previously known as th ...

* '' Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' * '' The Second Shepherds' Play'' * "''Enchiriadis''" texts ** '' Scolica enchiriadis'' ** '' Musica enchiriadis'' * ''

The Battle of Maldon "The Battle of Maldon" is the name given to an Old English Old English literature, poem of uncertain date celebrating the real Battle of Maldon of 991, at which an Anglo-Saxon army failed to repulse a Viking raid. Only 325 lines of the poem are ...

'' * ''Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan'' * ''

Gesta Hungarorum ''Gesta Hungarorum'', or ''The Deeds of the Hungarians'', is the earliest book about Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian history which has survived for posterity. Its genre is not chronicle, but ''gesta'', meaning "deeds" or "acts", which is a medie ...

'' * ''

The Secret History of the Mongols The ''Secret History of the Mongols'' is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolic languages. Written for the Borjigin, Mongol royal family some time after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, it recounts his life and conquests, and parti ...

'' * '' St. Erkenwald'' * ''

Corpus Hermeticum The is a collection of 17 Greek writings whose authorship is traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The treatises were orig ...

'' * ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...

'' * The Lady of Escalot *''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

15th century

* The Book of Dede Korkut * The

pasquinade A pasquinade or pasquil is a form of satire, usually an anonymous brief lampoon in verse or prose, and can also be seen as a form of literary caricature. The genre became popular in early modern Europe, in the 16th century, though the term had b ...

s (satirical poems) glued to the

Talking Statues of Rome The talking statues of Rome () or the Congregation of Wits () provided an outlet for a form of Anonymity, anonymous political expression in Rome. Criticisms in the form of poems or witticisms were posted on well-known statues in Rome, as an early ...

. They still appear from time to time. * The ''

Key of Solomon The ''Key of Solomon'' (; ), also known as the ''Greater Key of Solomon'', is a pseudepigraphical grimoire attributed to Solomon, King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance. It presents a typical exampl ...

'' * The '' Skibby Chronicle'' * '' La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin'' * '' Hypnerotomachia Poliphili'', published anonymously at the time, now considered likely to have been written by Francesco Colonna * The Voynich manuscript

16th century

* '' Narrative of Some Things of New Spain and of the Great City of Temestitan'' * ''

Lazarillo de Tormes ''The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities'' ( ) is a Spanish novella, published anonymously because of its anticlerical content. It was published simultaneously in three cities in 1554: Alcalá de Henares, Burgos a ...

'' * ''

Chilam Balam The Books of Chilam Balam () are handwritten, chiefly 17th and 18th-centuries Maya miscellanies, named after the small Yucatec towns where they were originally kept, and preserving important traditional knowledge in which indigenous Maya and ea ...

17th century

* '' Actio Curiosa'' * '' Theophrastus redivivus'' * The entire catalog of Pierre Marteau * All works published after 1788 by

Sylvain Maréchal Sylvain Maréchal (; 15 August 1750 – 18 January 1803) was a French essayist, poet, philosopher and political theorist, whose views presaged utopian socialism and communism. His views on a future golden age are occasionally described as ''uto ...

*'' Vertue Rewarded''

18th century

* ''

An Essay on the Principle of Population The book ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'' was first published anonymously in 1798, but the author was soon identified as Thomas Robert Malthus. The book warned of future difficulties, on an interpretation of the population increasing ...

'' by T.R. Malthus, originally published anonymously * '' Anti-Machiavel'' by

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, originally published anonymously * '' Dream of the Red Chamber'' by Cao Xueqin, originally published anonymously * ''The Sorrows of Yamba'' by

Hannah More Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet, and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at ...

, originally published anonymously * ''

Common Sense (pamphlet) Common sense () is "knowledge, judgement, and taste which is more or less universal and which is held more or less without reflection or argument". As such, it is often considered to represent the basic level of sound practical judgement or know ...

'' by

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...

, originally published anonymously * ''The Animated Skeleton'' * ''The Cavern of Death''

19th century

* ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

'' by Mary Shelley, originally published anonymously * ''A Brief Inquiry into the Natural Rights of Man'' * ''

American Writers The Lists of American writers include: United States By ethnicity *List of African-American writers *List of Asian American writers, List of Asian-American writers *List of Cuban American writers, List of Cuban-American writers *List of Egypti ...

'' by

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

, attributed to X.Y.Z. * '' A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder'' by James De Mille, originally published anonymously. * ''

Democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

'' by

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...

, originally published anonymously. * '' Brother Jonathan: or, the New Englanders '' by

, published anonymously. * '' Elizabeth and Her German Garden'' by Elizabeth von Arnim, originally published anonymously. * '' Fantasmagoriana'' by Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, published anonymously. * '' Logan'' by John Neal * '' Memoirs of a Russian Princess'' * '' Might is Right'', published under the pseudonym "Ragnar Redbeard". The most commonly claimed authors are Arthur Desmond or

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

. * '' Romance of Lust'', originally published anonymously but variously attributed to Edward Sellon or William Simpson Potter * '' Seventy-Six'' by John Neal, attributed to "the author of Logan" * '' Supernatural Religion: An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation'' by

Walter Richard Cassels Walter Richard Cassels (4 September 1826 – 10 June 1907) was an English poet and theological critic best known as the author of ''Supernatural Religion'' (1874). Early life Cassels was born in London, the youngest son of Robert Cassels and J ...

, originally published anonymously. * '' Tales of the Dead'', translated by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson, published anonymously. * '' Tamerlane and Other Poems'', the first published collection of poems by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

, originally published anonymously. * ''The Log-Cabin Lady'' * ''The Princess Ilsée'' * '' The String of Pearls'' * '' The Way of a Pilgrim'' * ''The Great Organ in the Boston Music Hall'' * ''

Under the Greenwood Tree ''Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School'' is the second published novel by English author Thomas Hardy, published anonymously in 1872. It was Hardy's second published novel, and the first of what was to become his seri ...

'' by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

, originally published anonymously. * '' Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation'' by Robert Chambers (publisher, born 1802), as only revealed after his death

20th century

* ''Jack Pots'' by Eugene Edwards published in 1900 by Jamieson-Higgins. A collection of poker stories. Author is believed to be another pseudonym of S. W. Erdnase. * ''

The Autobiography of a Flea ''The Autobiography of a Flea'' is an anonymous erotic novel first published in 1887 in London by Edward Avery. Later research has revealed that the author was a London lawyer of the time named Stanislas de Rhodes. The story is narrated by a ...

'', erotic novel published in 1901. * '' The Expert at the Card Table'' by S. W. Erdnase, a book on sleight-of-hand with cards for card advantage play and magic, self-published in 1902 in Chicago. * '' Josefine Mutzenbacher'', erotic novel published in 1906, presumably written by

Felix Salten Felix Salten (; 6 September 1869 – 8 October 1945) was an Austrian author and Literary criticism, literary critic. His most famous work is ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', which was adapted into an animated feature film, ''Bambi'', by Walt Disne ...

. *'' The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man'', the story of a young biracial man, was published anonymously in 1912 by

James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ...

who revealed himself as the author in 1927. * '' The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler'', anonymously written 1939 book which claims that

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

died in 1938 and was subsequently impersonated by

look-alike A look-alike, or double, is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of Family resemblance (anthropology), family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individua ...

s. * '' Go Ask Alice'', now known to have been written by Beatrice Sparks. * '' A Woman in Berlin'', an anonymous diary detailing experiences of a German woman as Germany is defeated in World War II. * ''

Primary Colors Primary colors are colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a broad range of colors in, e.g., electronic displays, color printin ...

'', published anonymously. Journalist

Joe Klein Joe Klein (born September 7, 1946) is an American political commentator and author. He is best known for his work as a columnist for ''Time'' magazine and his novel '' Primary Colors'', an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton ...

was immediately suspected as the author. He originally denied it, but admitted authorship within six months.

21st century

* '' Bourbon Kid'' – ongoing supernatural horror series first published in 2000 * '' The Bride Stripped Bare'' – erotic novel published in 2003; soon after, the author was revealed as the Australian writer Nikki Gemmell. * ''Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam and the Future of America'' (2003) and ''

Imperial Hubris ''Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror'' (Brassey's, 2004; ) is a book by American author Michael Scheuer, a Central Intelligence Agency veteran. The book was originally published anonymously. Scheur worked 22 years with the ...

: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror'' (2004) – both revealed to have been written by former CIA employee

Michael Scheuer Michael F. Scheuer (pronounced "SHOY-er"), (born 1952) is an American former intelligence officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, blogger, author, commentator and former adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Peace and S ...

. * ''Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook'' (2004) – published by the CrimethInc. collective. * '' My Immortal'' (2006–2007) – work of fiction settled in the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' universe involving goth subculture which has become a cult phenomenon. * '' Rolling Thunder'' (2005–2014) – eleven issues of "an anarchist journal of dangerous living" published the CrimethInc collective. * '' Diary of an Oxygen Thief'' (2006) – Dutch novel about the independent art, literature, and music scene in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. * '' O: A Presidential Novel'' (2011) – , speculative novel about President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's 2012 re-election campaign. The publishers,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, claim that the book was written by someone who was "in the room" with the President. * '' Lucy in the Sky'' (2012) * '' Letting Ana Go'' (2013) – anonymous diary of an anorexic teenager, was published by

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

with no discernible author. * '' The Incest Diary'' (2017) * '' A Warning'' (2019) – book written by "a senior Trump administration official" that expands upon the anonymous 2018 essay '' I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration'' from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. In the week before the 2020 election, Miles Taylor, indeed a senior Trump official, revealed himself as the author of both the book and original essay.

References

External links

*See http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu to find some of these texts on the web. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anonymously Published Works Lists of books

Works Works may refer to: People * Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach * John D. Works (1847–1928), California senator and judge * Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician Albums * ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album), a Pi ...

Works predating the Common Era

Ancient Mesopotamian works

Ancient Egyptian works

Other works

Early classics

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

See also

References

External links