Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

Title page of the first edition, 1846
Authors	Charlotte Brontë Emily Brontë Anne Brontë
Language	English
Publication place	United Kingdom

Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell was a book of poetry published jointly by the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne in 1846 (see 1846 in poetry), and their first work in print. To evade contemporary prejudice against female writers, the Brontë sisters adopted masculine first names. All three retained the first letter of their first names: Charlotte became Currer Bell, Emily became Ellis Bell, and Anne became Acton Bell. The book was printed by Aylott and Jones, from London. The first edition failed to attract interest, with only two copies being sold. However, the sisters decided to continue writing for publication and began work on their first novels, which became commercial successes.

Following the success of Charlotte's Jane Eyre in 1848, and after the deaths of Emily and Anne, the second edition of this book (printed in 1850 by Smith & Elder) fared much better, with Charlotte's additions of previously unpublished poetry by her two late sisters. It is believed that there are fewer than ten copies in existence with the Aylott and Jones title-page.

See also

• List of Brontë poems

External links

• Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell by Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë. London: Aylott and Jones, 1846 at A Celebration of Women Writers

• Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell at Project Gutenberg
• Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell public domain audiobook at LibriVox