Seventy-Six
John Neal's 1823 novel of the Revolutionary War, credited on its title page to 'the author of Logan'. The attribution to Neal is documented.
- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- 1823
- Form
- Novels
- Authorship
- Revealed: John Neal
- Attribution source
- Wikipedia: List of anonymously published works, citing Bain 1971
- How it came out
- attributed on publication to 'the author of Logan'; authorship documented in Neal scholarship
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
Seventy-Six appeared in Baltimore in 1823, a Revolutionary War novel told by an old soldier in a colloquial, headlong voice that anticipated techniques American fiction would not adopt widely for another century. Its title page credited only 'the author of Logan', chaining it to Neal's previous anonymous novel rather than to his name. John Neal's authorship is documented in the scholarship, and the book is now counted among his best. The linked-anonymity device let a prolific author build a brand out of namelessness itself.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Seventy-Six?
Seventy-Six was published anonymously and is documented as the work of John Neal. (attributed on publication to 'the author of Logan'; authorship documented in Neal scholarship). Source: Wikipedia: List of anonymously published works, citing Bain 1971.
Can I read Seventy-Six for free?
Yes. Seventy-Six is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at the Internet Archive.
When was Seventy-Six published?
Seventy-Six was published in 1823 without an author’s name.
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