Yet it inspired the sisters to begin writing novels, and all three had produced a complete work within the year-Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, Anne’s Agnes Grey, and Emily’s Wuthering Heights. The book of poetry attracted little attention and sold only a handful of copies. Charlotte explained that “the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because-without at that time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called ‘feminine’-we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice.” They chose the pseudonyms Ellis, Currer, and Acton Bell, selecting initials which mirrored their own. She had written to poet Robert Southey in 1836 to ask his opinion of her writing, to which he had replied that “literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life: and it ought not to be.” It was thus decided that all three Brontë sisters-Emily, Charlotte and Anne-would submit their poems to a publisher using male aliases. Charlotte, as well as sister Anne, had also been secretly writing poems, and convinced Emily to join them in seeking a publisher for a collective anthology of their work.Ĭharlotte, perhaps the most ambitious of the sisters, had been looking to have her work reach a wider audience for some time. In 1845, a private book of Emily’s poetry was found by her sister Charlotte. Raised in Yorkshire, Emily (1818–1848) and her siblings led an isolated childhood, finding refuge in literature, creative pursuits and imaginary worlds.

We are pleased to present first editions by two of the most famous examples, Emily Brontë and Mary Anne Evans, respectively known to their readers as Elias Bell and George Eliot, in our Cabinet of Curiosities auction. 2 vols., 8vo., 1st edition. 7.6 x 4.9 in - 19.3 x 12.5 cm. Estimate $10,000-$15,000, Price Realised: $78,000įemale authors have historically faced prejudice in the publishing world, with their writing being seen as ‘unserious’ and not the stuff of high art, pushing many women to write under male pseudonyms in order to be taken seriously. Lot 4 – Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, a novel by Ellis Bell.

Emily brönte books