Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

What it is

This is a book of poems by the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, published in 1846 by Aylott and Jones of London under the pen names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. It was their first work to appear in print.

Why it matters

The sisters used male-sounding pseudonyms to avoid prejudice against women writers and to protect their privacy. The book sold very poorly, reportedly only two copies in its first year, but it marked the beginning of their public writing careers, just before Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey appeared the following year and made the Bell names famous.

Look closer

• Why might the sisters have felt they needed to hide their real names and genders?
• What does the book's poor sales tell you about how success and recognition can come slowly, or not at all, during an author's early career?
• How might later editions with different covers and publishers change how a book is remembered?