...continuing from this morning's post...
So, obviously, from the very beginning Dryasdust was perceived as a pseudonym. But for whom?
A few years after their initial publication, revised editions of Tales Of The Wonder Club began to appear, with the author's name revealed - M.Y. Halidom. The mystery solved!
Erm... not so much.
As the Dictionary Of Pseudonyms explains:
More specifically, halidom is a word for a Sacred Place or Sacred Object. Just as a note for those wanting to contemplate the author's intent.
From the beginning, this, too, was recognized as a pseudonym. See the 4 June 1904 edition of The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art for a contemporary example:
And so, the mystery lingered on throughout the 20th century. From The Encyclopedia Of Fantasy:
Some even thought they had found the author, though they were later proven eroneous, as in this entry from the Dictionary Of Literary Pseudonyms:
Not until this century, in 2005, did someone finally find an answer to this puzzle. And this is where it gets frustrating for me, because i can only find second hand references to the solution with no details of the determination process.
It seems that the folks at Wormwood magazine, a small UK publication from Tartarus Press put together a research team who uncovered Alexander Huth as our author.
Not a lot is known about the man. There's considerably more information available on his father, oddly enough. Here's his listing from ThePeerage.com :
Alexander Huth
M, #447198, b. 23 December 1838, d. 12 December 1914
Last Edited=27 Aug 2010
Alexander Huth was born on 23 December 1838 at Marylebone, London, EnglandG.1,2,3,4,6,7 He was the son of Charles Frederick Huth and Frances Caroline Marshall.7 He married Gesualda Margherita Maria Milana, daughter of Bernardo Milana and Carolina Mastropietro, on 19 August 1870 at ItalyG.7 He died on 12 December 1914 at age 75 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.1,7
He lived in 1841 at St. Marylebone, London, EnglandG.6,7 He lived in 1851 at Brighthelmstone, Sussex, EnglandG.2,7 He lived in 1891 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.4,7 He lived in 1901 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.3,7
Children of Alexander Huth and Gesualda Margherita Maria Milana
Lancelot Arthur Huth+7 b. 5 Sep 1875, d. 14 Nov 1967
Enid Agnes Huth+7 b. 1878, d. 1968
Vivien Josephine Maria Huth7 b. 1 Nov 1879, d. Dec 1972
Elaine Mary Huth7 b. 1881, d. 1948
Galahad John Huth+7 b. Jun 1883, d. 6 Oct 1963
Frances Guinevere Huth+7 b. Dec 1886, d. 1970
Merlin Huth+7 b. Jun 1888, d. 1987
Not exactly a wealth of information.
That's the complete extent of my knowledge on the subject, and i've been unable to find either the Wormwood issue or a summary of the data. In fact, even Tartarus Press seems to be sold out of the likely issue containing the work.
Anybody out there who can fill in the gaps on how this mystery was solved? Or has it merely been declared to solved, with the mystery yet remaining?
For those wishing to read these early tales of the fantastic, all three books are available on Project Gutenberg.
So, obviously, from the very beginning Dryasdust was perceived as a pseudonym. But for whom?
A few years after their initial publication, revised editions of Tales Of The Wonder Club began to appear, with the author's name revealed - M.Y. Halidom. The mystery solved!
Erm... not so much.
As the Dictionary Of Pseudonyms explains:
More specifically, halidom is a word for a Sacred Place or Sacred Object. Just as a note for those wanting to contemplate the author's intent.
From the beginning, this, too, was recognized as a pseudonym. See the 4 June 1904 edition of The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art for a contemporary example:
And so, the mystery lingered on throughout the 20th century. From The Encyclopedia Of Fantasy:
Some even thought they had found the author, though they were later proven eroneous, as in this entry from the Dictionary Of Literary Pseudonyms:
Not until this century, in 2005, did someone finally find an answer to this puzzle. And this is where it gets frustrating for me, because i can only find second hand references to the solution with no details of the determination process.
It seems that the folks at Wormwood magazine, a small UK publication from Tartarus Press put together a research team who uncovered Alexander Huth as our author.
Not a lot is known about the man. There's considerably more information available on his father, oddly enough. Here's his listing from ThePeerage.com :
Alexander Huth
M, #447198, b. 23 December 1838, d. 12 December 1914
Last Edited=27 Aug 2010
Alexander Huth was born on 23 December 1838 at Marylebone, London, EnglandG.1,2,3,4,6,7 He was the son of Charles Frederick Huth and Frances Caroline Marshall.7 He married Gesualda Margherita Maria Milana, daughter of Bernardo Milana and Carolina Mastropietro, on 19 August 1870 at ItalyG.7 He died on 12 December 1914 at age 75 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.1,7
He lived in 1841 at St. Marylebone, London, EnglandG.6,7 He lived in 1851 at Brighthelmstone, Sussex, EnglandG.2,7 He lived in 1891 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.4,7 He lived in 1901 at Wandsworth, London, EnglandG.3,7
Children of Alexander Huth and Gesualda Margherita Maria Milana
Lancelot Arthur Huth+7 b. 5 Sep 1875, d. 14 Nov 1967
Enid Agnes Huth+7 b. 1878, d. 1968
Vivien Josephine Maria Huth7 b. 1 Nov 1879, d. Dec 1972
Elaine Mary Huth7 b. 1881, d. 1948
Galahad John Huth+7 b. Jun 1883, d. 6 Oct 1963
Frances Guinevere Huth+7 b. Dec 1886, d. 1970
Merlin Huth+7 b. Jun 1888, d. 1987
Not exactly a wealth of information.
That's the complete extent of my knowledge on the subject, and i've been unable to find either the Wormwood issue or a summary of the data. In fact, even Tartarus Press seems to be sold out of the likely issue containing the work.
Anybody out there who can fill in the gaps on how this mystery was solved? Or has it merely been declared to solved, with the mystery yet remaining?
For those wishing to read these early tales of the fantastic, all three books are available on Project Gutenberg.
