A Dictionary Of The Noted Names Of Fiction; Including Also Familiar Pseudonyms, Surnames, Bestowed On Eminent Men, And Analogus Popular Appellations Often Referred To In Literature And Conversation

Every familiar name in fiction, explained and traced. Names that linger through time. William Adolphus Wheeler's A Dictionary of the Noted Names of Fiction is a nineteenth-century compendium that reads like a map of literary memory. As a literary reference guide and classic pseudonym dictionary, it assembles famous literary aliases, familiar surnames and the popular appellations often referred to in literature and conversation, offering concise notes on character name origins and literature surname meanings. Entries are compact and forensic: source, usage and cultural resonance are set side by side so readers can see how a name accrued meaning across novels, essays and discussion. Compiled in an age when allusion was a daily habit, Wheeler's work reveals how nicknames, pseudonyms and bestowed surnames functioned as shorthand for satire, sympathy and social judgement; it is a social as well as a literary register. Part fiction names compendium and part literary allusions handbook, the book serves as a companion to English literature and a practical writers and scholars resource, invaluable to anyone decoding references, tracing pseudonyms, or simply satisfying curiosity about the names that populate Victorian literature and broader nineteenth century literature. Accessible and elegantly concise, it also makes an excellent book club companion, helping readers spot the jokes and gestures behind a name without interrupting the pleasure of the text. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions. Restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure. For casual readers and classic-literature collectors alike, this edition is a dependable book club companion and a writers and scholars resource, an elegant bridge from nineteenth century literature into contemporary conversation about names in fiction. Readers will find Wheeler's entries economical and revealing; the volume rewards repeated consultation, whether to settle an argument in a reading group or to deepen research.