Throughout the history of literature, since the creation of bound texts in the forms of books and codices, various works have been published and written anonymously, often due to their political or controversial nature, or merely for the purposes of the privacy of their authors, among other reasons. This article provides a list of literary works published anonymously, either attributed to "Anonymous", or with no specific author's name given.
Not included in this list are works which predate the advent of publishing and general attribution of authorship, such as ancient written inscriptions (such as hieroglyphic or pictographical, transcribed texts), certain historical folklore and myths of oral traditions now published as text, and reference or plain texts (letters, notes, graffiti) recovered archaeologically, which are otherwise unimportant to literary studies. Religious texts and grimoires, which are often written anonymously, may appear, along with works initially written anonymously whose authors are now known.
This list is ordered alphabetically by title.
Works predating the Common Era
Ancient Mesopotamian works
Debate between bird and fish
Enûma Eliš
Hurrian hymn to Nikkal
Inscriptions at Tell Abu Salabikh
Instructions of Shuruppak, attributed to the historically debatable Shuruppak
Kesh Temple Hymn
Mesopotamian City Laments
Lament for Ur
Lament for Sumer and Ur
Lament for Nippur
Lament for Eridu
Lament for Uruk
Sumerian creation myth
Ancient Egyptian works
Ancient Egyptian funerary texts
Coffin Texts
New Kingdom funerary texts
Book of the Dead
Amduat
Spell of the Twelve Caves
The Book of Gates
Book of the Netherworld
Book of Caverns
Book of the Earth
Litany of Re
Book of the Heavens
Pyramid Texts
Ancient Egyptian medical papyri
Other works
I Ching
The Aesop Romance
Early classics
Cantar de Mio Cid
Beowulf
De Dubiis Nominibus
Dresden Codex
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Second Shepherds' Play
"Enchiriadis" texts
Scolica enchiriadis
Musica enchiriadis
The Battle of Maldon
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan
Gesta Hungarorum
The Secret History of the Mongols
St. Erkenwald
Corpus Hermeticum
Poetic Edda
The Lady of Escalot
One Thousand and One Nights
15th century
The Book of Dede Korkut
The pasquinades (satirical poems) glued to the Talking Statues of Rome. They still appear from time to time. The Key of Solomon The Skibby Chronicle La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, published anonymously at the time, now considered likely to have been written by Francesco Colonna The Voynich manuscript
16th century
Narrative of Some Things of New Spain and of the Great City of Temestitan
Lazarillo de Tormes
Chilam Balam
17th century
Actio Curiosa
Theophrastus redivivus
The entire catalog of Pierre Marteau
All works published after 1788 by Sylvain Maréchal
Vertue Rewarded
18th century
An Essay on the Principle of Population by T.R. Malthus, originally published anonymously Anti-Machiavel by Frederick the Great, originally published anonymously Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, originally published anonymously The Sorrows of Yamba by Hannah More, originally published anonymously Common Sense (pamphlet) by Thomas Paine, originally published anonymously The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay; originally published under the pseudonym "Publius" The Animated Skeleton The Cavern of Death