What does Mr Stephen R. Donaldson's middle initial indicate?

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Viearus
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What does Mr Stephen R. Donaldson's middle initial indicate?

Post by Viearus »

I.e, what is the 'R.' short for? I've wondered this for about twenty years and have finally found :P an avenue of insight. The Net . . . .
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Post by kevinswatch »

Good question, wrong forum to ask it in, heh.

The Thomas Covenant and SRD forums are right below this one.

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Last edited by kevinswatch on Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Seareach
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Post by Seareach »

Reeder (his mother's maiden name if I'm not mistaken)....and which explains why the pseudenom for his mystery novels was Reed Stephens.
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Post by Holsety »

Orly!? I had always assumed it was simply Reed because of Reed stephens. His name is far more interesting for the addition of the er - I've never heard of someone being named reeder instead of reed.

My middle name is boring :( Erin. The worst is the spelling, it looks like a girls name. What ever happened to Aaron?
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Viearus
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Post by Viearus »

Seareach wrote:Reeder (his mother's maiden name if I'm not mistaken)....and which explains why the pseudenom for his mystery novels was Reed Stephens.
I know Mistress Magick's first name . . . .
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Seareach
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Post by Seareach »

Holsety wrote:My middle name is boring :( Erin. The worst is the spelling, it looks like a girls name. What ever happened to Aaron?
Yeah, but you should thank the stars you don't have my middle name: Hansford! It's my grandfather's surname! I was teased to death when I was a kid...and they used to call me "hands full" (but I won't go into details why that was!!!).
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Post by Holsety »

OH! I just remembered something else. The other purpose of his being known as Stephen R donaldson is to distinguish him from Stephen Donaldson, AKA Donny the Punk.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_the_Punk

Sadly Piers Anthony was still unable to tell the difference!
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Seareach
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Post by Seareach »

Holsety wrote:OH! I just remembered something else. The other purpose of his being known as Stephen R donaldson is to distinguish him from Stephen Donaldson, AKA Donny the Punk.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_the_Punk

Sadly Piers Anthony was still unable to tell the difference!
LOL! Yeah, that was funny. But isn't it true (in relation to using "R" on his books) that this is only done in the US. In the UK his books are published only under "Stephen Donaldson" (omitting the "R").
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Viearus
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Post by Viearus »

I don't have a middle name, which I have always thought was 'ne pas tres chic', but maturity is teaching me otherwise.
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Seareach
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Post by Seareach »

Viearus wrote:I don't have a middle name, which I have always thought was 'ne pas tres chic', but maturity is teaching me otherwise.
I shouldn't really complain: it's fun when people try to guess what my middle name is...as no one ever does.

Oh, welcome to the watch Viearus!
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Viearus
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Post by Viearus »

Thank you. It actually means a lot . . . . The Covenant series' are extraordinarily deep.
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matrixman
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Post by matrixman »

I'm just relieved SRD didn't give Thomas Covenant a middle name. But Joan has one. Hmmm...
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Post by Relayer »

I believe Joan's "middle" name is really her maiden name.
"History is a myth men have agreed upon." - Napoleon

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Post by dlbpharmd »

My middle name is boring Erin. The worst is the spelling, it looks like a girls name. What ever happened to Aaron?
We have another Watcher who goes by Erin.
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Post by CovenantJr »

Seareach wrote:
Holsety wrote:OH! I just remembered something else. The other purpose of his being known as Stephen R donaldson is to distinguish him from Stephen Donaldson, AKA Donny the Punk.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_the_Punk

Sadly Piers Anthony was still unable to tell the difference!
LOL! Yeah, that was funny. But isn't it true (in relation to using "R" on his books) that this is only done in the US. In the UK his books are published only under "Stephen Donaldson" (omitting the "R").
This is true.
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matrixman
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Post by matrixman »

Relayer wrote:I believe Joan's "middle" name is really her maiden name.
DOH! Guess I didn't pay attention to that detail.
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Post by High Lord Tolkien »

You're all wrong.
He just picked "R" to sound more like the author that he's blatantly copying: J R R Tolkien

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Post by Holsety »

Relayer wrote:I believe Joan's "middle" name is really her maiden name.
What is Joan's middle/maiden name anyway?
High Lord Tolkien wrote:You're all wrong.
He just picked "R" to sound more like the author that he's blatantly copying: J R R Tolkien

:hide:
Damn, we shoulda known.
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matrixman
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Post by matrixman »

Her full name is Joan Macht Covenant. I vaguely recall someone (maybe it was SRD) explaining what "Macht" meant, but I forgot the definition.
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Seareach
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Post by Seareach »

Matrixman wrote:Her full name is Joan Macht Covenant. I vaguely recall someone (maybe it was SRD) explaining what "Macht" meant, but I forgot the definition.
Thread is here kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... cht#327407


Means "power" or "makes"...I think that's the gist of it.
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