Even if you studied Middlemarch at school, you are unlikely to know that it was written by Mary Ann Evans. Her pseudonym was George Eliot. Bailey’s UK, a long-time sponsor of UK annual book award, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, is putting the names of twenty-five female authors on the books they wrote. These women all chose to adopt pseudonyms during a time when gender could hinder one’s chances of being published.

It still happens today. Gender bias still exists in publishing. J.K. Rowling recently authored crime fiction novels under the name, Robert Galbraith.

The idea comes from VMLY&R London and the limited-edition line of books, Reclaim Her Name, also features newly commissioned cover artwork from thirteen female illustrators from countries throughout the world, including Brazil, Russia, Jordan and Germany. VMLY&R researched archives and resources, both online and offline, to identify the female writers behind the pseudonyms to curate the line.

The twenty-five books are Middlemarch, Marie of the Cabin Club, Indiana, A Phantom Lover, The Life of Martin R. Delaney, Keynotes, Takekurabe (“Growing Up”), Garden of Kama, How White Men Assist in Smuggling…, Attila, My Attila!, Ye Game and Playe of Chesse, Painted Clay, For Our Country, Iras: A Mystery, Atla- Story of a Lost Island, Twilight, The Head Of Medusa, Some Emotions and a Moral, Cecilia De Noël – Mary Hawker, Echoes from Mist-land, Valerie Aylmer, A Diplomat’s Diary, and The Roadmender.

“Baileys has been a sponsor of the Women’s Prize for Fiction for many years now and together we have been dedicated to honouring, celebrating and championing women’s writing,” stated Women’s Prize for Fiction founder and director, Kate Mosse.

“Together, we’re incredibly excited by the Reclaim Her Name campaign—it’s a lovely way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Prize, by doing what we always strive to do—empowering women, igniting conversations and ensuring that they get the recognition they deserve.”

“Many of the authors we selected were suffragettes and staunch feminists. I’d like to think of the project as our way of thanking them for what they did for us,” Tamryn Kerr, creative director at VMLY&R, noted. “These titles were specifically chosen to not only introduce classic books to a modern audience, but also to encourage dialogue around why women felt (and still feel) the need to portray themselves as men in order to become accomplished writers.”

Adrienne Gammie, category marketing director for Gins, Pimm’s & Baileys, added, “The Women’s Prize for Fiction champions the power of female voices, something we care deeply about at Diageo. Through Reclaim Her Name we are excited for Baileys to extend this celebration of literary achievement to authors who concealed their gender on their work – shining a spotlight on these incredible female storytellers.”

The limited-edition series of books will be available to download in e-book format online.