Reclaim her Name: e-book series

In the sexist history of the publishing industry, some women have had to cheat the system to gain recognition. From Charlotte Brontë (aka Currer Bell) to Mary Ann Evans (aka George Eliot), female writers would work under male pseudonyms in order to be taken seriously by publishers and readers. And the prejudice still lingers: JK Rowling was told to publish under gender-neutral initials as it was thought that little boys would be reluctant to read a book by a woman.

But a new initiative is encouraging new conversations around gender equality and championing historic female writers. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Women's Prize for Fiction, Baileys has re-released a collection of 25 titles with the author's real name on the cover for the first time. The Reclaim Her Name series includes works such as A Phantom Lover by Violet Paget (aka Vernon Lee) and Middlemarch by Mary Ann Evans (aka George Eliot) .



Spanning classics and lesser-known books, the collection was curated by a dedicated team who searched archives and library resources to find women who have written under male pseudonyms since the 19th century. Each of the 25 novels in the collection has a stylish modern cover design, created by female artists from all over the world, although sadly the colourful covers won't brighten up your bookshelves as the collection is not available in printed form. But happily, the e-book formats are available for free, ensuring that anyone and everyone can enjoy the stories.

Kate Mosse, the founder and director of the Women's Prize for Fiction, said: 'we're incredibly excited by the Reclaim Her Name campaign – it's a lovely way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Prize, by doing what we always strive to do: empowering women, igniting conversation and ensuring that they get the recognition they deserve.'



Click here to download free e-books from the Reclaim Her Name series