"E"s in Overplus

[steepholm]

This is the second time in a couple of weeks that I've seen E. Nesbit referred to as "E. E. Nesbit" (the first was in the Tom Shippey article I mentioned a few days ago). Where did the extra "E." come from? I'm no Nesbit expert, but as far as I'm aware she never published under that name, any more than Rosemary Sutcliff published as Rosemary Sutcliffe, despite popular belief to the contrary.

I suspect that in Nesbit's case, it's that we aren't used to writers having one rather than two initials: C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, J. B. Priestley, E. F. Benson, H. G. Wells, etc: the pattern is two (or occasionally more, as with Tolkien), and Nesbit's missed beat makes us want to throw in another as a makeweight. The exception seems to be where the initial acknowledges an unfavoured first name, but only as the herald of the main forename, as in F. Scott Fitzgerald, but that's quite another kettle of rhythmic fish.

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Having recently reviewed a book for the SCJ on the London press during the thirty Years' War by a Jane E E Boyes.....

I stick to my given name and my maiden name for those purposes- the latter because it makes citation less complicated for those doing it.

[joxn.livejournal.com]

Also A. A. Milne. But I bet it comes from E. E. Cummings.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

That's possible, although they're unlikely writers to be confused in almost any other way.

[joxn.livejournal.com]

Sure, but it's not semantic confusion, it's confusion at a much shallower, even phonotactic level.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

e. e. nesbit.

and what i want to know is so how do you like
your blueeyed boy
mr Psammead?

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Hah! You've fallen into the same trap as Kipling did. The Psammead is nowhere referred to as male. When E. Nesbit said Five Children and It, she meant It.

[perdix.livejournal.com]

Agree!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Perhaps at some level they remember she's an Edith, but know she used initials so are trying to fill in that second syllable somehow?

[gillo]

As long as they don't think she's Enid.

;-)

[calimac.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, Nesbit didn't even have a middle name. There are occasional other writers who used a single initial in their byline, like A. Merritt. I hadn't seen this error before, and I advocate stomping it out now, with a hob-nailed boot.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking of her as an Enid. I also seem to be stumbling across her, and not just because of Ms Wilson. Must read the horror collection.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

When I was a child I thought she was EE Nesbit. I mean for over a decade at least. That's because I had only heard her name, said by my mum. For some reason it does sound like 'Ee-ee' when you put that initial stress on it.