Every so often one has occasion to use a pronoun when discussing a scholar, and every so often one thus runs the risk of making oneself seem sexist. I recall this was an issue not too long ago with a certain review in the BMCR in which the reviewer wrongly surmised the author’s gender. And so as an aid to all of you (whomever you are) in need of sexism-insurance, or just to satisfy your curiosity, I thought we could try to compile and to solve the riddle of the myriad initialed scholars that stock our shelves and flood our journals. I’ll begin with some personal favorites, and then you may feel free to submit puzzles, solutions, etc.
- A.M. Dale
- Amy Marjorie Dale
- A.S.F. Gow
- Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow
- R.O.A.M. Lyne
- Richard Oliver Allen Marcus Lyne
- L.P.E. Edwards (née Parker)
- Laetitia Parvin Erna Parker
- M.L. West
- Martin Litchfield West
Let’s have at it. I’m sure there are others you’ve either puzzled over or simply have come to appreciate.
UPDATE: We’ve decided to alphabetize the whole list and just add to it as suggestions are made, so this post will be a work in progress, and hopefully a one-stop resource for all of your initial needs. The updated list will be maintained after the jump. Check the comments if you’re interested to see who has suggested or contributed what, and remember that since this is going to remain an open subject, you can make suggestions at any time.
In the latest update I’ve also added two more of my own: T.R.S Broughton and A.M. Dale’s husband, T.B.L. Webster.
- A.W.H. Adkins
- Arthur William Hope Adkins
- A.H. Armstrong
- Arthur Hilary Armstrong
- H.W. Auden
- Henry William Auden,
- R.G. Austin
- Roland Gregory Austin
- J.P.V.D. Balsdon
- John Percy Vyvian Dacre Balsdon
- A.A.R. Bastiaensen
- Antonius Adrianus Robertus Bastiaensen
- A.J. Boyle
- Anthony James Boyle
- T.R.S. Broughton
- Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton
- F.M. Cornford
- Francis MacDonald Cornford
- A.M. Dale
- Amy Marjorie Dale
- E.R. Dodds
- Eric Robertson Dodds (not to be confused with underrated actor Eric Roberts)
- L.P.E. Edwards (née Parker)
- Laetitia Parvin Erna Parker
- M.I. Finley
- Moses Immanuel Finley
- G.P. Goold
- George Patrick Goold
- A.S.F. Gow
- Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow
- C.H. Grandgent
- Charles Hall Grandgent
- R.P.H. Green
- Roger Philip Hywel Green
- G.M.A. Grube
- George Maximilian Anthony Grube
- W.K.C. Guthrie
- William Keith Chambers Guthrie (AKA William ‘KC and the Sunshine Band’ Guthrie)
- A.S. Hollis
- Adrian Swayne
- A.E. Housman
- Alfred Edward
- A.H.M. Jones
- Arnold Hugh Martin Jones
- J.W. Jones, Jr.
- Julian Ward Jones, Jr.
- J.N.D. Kelly
- John Norman Davidson Kelly
- E.J. Kenney
- Edwin James Kenney
- G.S. Kirk
- Geoffrey Stephen Kirk
- H.D.F. Kitto
- Humphrey Davy Findley Kitto
- M.L.W. Laistner
- Max Ludwig Wolfram Laistner
- J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz
- John Hugo Wolfgang Gideon Liebeschuetz
- A.A. Long
- Anthony Arthur Long
- R.O.A.M. Lyne
- Richard Oliver Allen Marcus Lyne
- E.T. Merrill
- Elmer Truesdell Merrill
- J.-P. Migne
- Jacques-Paul Migne
- D.K. Money
- David Kenyon Money
- L.P.E. Parker (now Edwards)
- Laetitia Parvin Erna Parker
- F.H. Sandbach
- Francis Henry Sandbach
- H.H. Scullard
- Howard Hayes Scullard (not to be confused with his father Herbert Hayes Scullard)
- D.R. Shackleton Bailey
- David Roy Shackleton Bailey
- R.W. Sharples
- Robert William Sharples
- A.N. Sherwin-White
- Adrian Nicholas Sherwin-White
- P.W.A.Th. Van der Laan
- Paulus Wilhelmus Antonius Theodorus Van der Laan
- F.W. Walbank
- F.W. Walbank (not to be confused with Harvey Wallbanger)
- P.G. Walsh
- Patrick Gerard Walsh
- T.B.L. Webster
- Thomas Bertram Lonsdale Webster
- M.L. West
- Martin Litchfield West
- M.M. Willcock
- Malcolm Maurice Willcock
- R.D. Williams
- Robert Deryck Williams
- R.P. Winnington-Ingram
- Reginald Pepys Winnington-Ingram (And if he’s anything like the famous diarist Samuel Pepys, he would pronounce Pepys like “peeps.”)
I am noticing that women are underrepresented, and that the two women I listed are both giant names in the field of Greek metrics. Incidentally, I managed (finally) to find affordable copies of A.M Dale’s Lyric Metres of Greek Drama and her Collected Papers, both of which are or on their way as I type this.
Glancing at the bookshelves above my computer, I saw some good ones:
H.D.F. Kitto
J.P.V.D. Balsdon
A.H.M. Jones
Ok, I’ll add a few.
First off, I’m surprised you omitted your favorite! (A.E. Housman)
Most of the rest are from a bibliography I have close to hand.
A.H. Armstrong
G.S. Kirk
R.G. Austin
A.A.R. Bastiaensen
A.J. Boyle
G.P. Goold
E.J. Kenney
A.A. Long
J.-P. Migne
R.W. Sharples
P.G. Walsh
R.D. Williams
I’m bookmarking this for future reference right now.
You’ve already got “Wandering” Lyne, but here are a few of my other favourites and what I’ve been able to dig up:
The UnGooglables
H.W. Auden, author of “The Greek Phrase Book” and translator of “The Latin Phrase Book”, both published by Duckworth – Henry William Auden.
D.K. Money, author of “The English Horace” – David K(…) Money
The Just Plain Excellent Names
C.H. Grandgent, author of “An Introduction to Vulgar Latin” – Charles Hall Grandgent
D.R. Shackleton Bailey – David Roy Shackleton Bailey
I’m away from my old Loebs just now or else I’d have some puzzlers to add.
One more.
A.W.H. Adkins
Ok, a few more. Gotta keep Dennis busy.
W.K.C. Guthrie
E.R. Dodds
R.P. Winnington-Ingram
H.H. Scullard
F.W. Walbank
Ok, more.
F.M. Cornford
G.M.A. Grube
A.S. Hollis
M.M. Willcock
M.I. Finley
F.H. Sandbach
Also, I propose that, when this is all said and done, we alphabetize and have a master-list.
My goal is to keep Dennis occupied.
R.P.H. Green (the ‘R’ is Roger)
J.W. Jones, Jr. (there seem to be two J.W. Joneses who write on the ancient world: Julian Ward, editor of an edition of Bernardus Silvestris’ commentary on the first six books of the Aeneid, and John Walter, who wrote on Greek law)
J.N.D. Kelly (John Norman Davidson)
M.L.W. Laistner (Max Ludwig Wolfram)
J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz (John Hugo Wolfgang Gideon)
E.T. Merrill (Elmer Truesdell)
A.N. Sherwin-White (Adrian Nicholas)
P.W.A.Th. Van der Laan
Update: Ok, I came back later and decided it wasn’t fair that Dennis had to do all the work. So I did a little, too.
My old Greek Prose Composition teacher at
University of Bristol (who, as I recall, asked that I write my pieces in the style of Thucydides):
N.G.L. Hammond (Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere)
BTW, much of this work is already done for you. Just consult the index of contributors to The Oxford Classical Dictionary – unless that would spoil the fun.
Having come back to them, I found surprisingly little in the old Loebs. But all is not lost – the ‘other titles’ on the rear of a recently acquired Duckworth proves a bountiful source of initialed scholars (together with what answers a quick Googling reveals):
J.K. Anderson
J.D.P. Bolton
C.M. Bowra – Cecil Maurice Bowra
G.E.M. de Ste Croix – Geoffrey Ernest Maurice de Ste Croix
W.W. Fortenbaugh – William W(?) Fortenbaugh
A.A. Long – Anthony A(?) Long
D.A. Russell
R.T. Wallis
N.G. Wilson – Nigel G(?) Wilson