 It was not necessary, in England in 1934, to name a baby instantly; there was a grace period of a number of days. As the deadline loomed, the poor woman simply gave all the names she could think of: Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob.
The child moved to America, where it took three years and five schools to graduate him from first grade, because he couldn't learn to read. It was thus fated that he become a proofreader, an English teacher, or a writer. He tried them all, along with a dozen other employments and liked only the least successful one.
So he lopped off half his name, sent his wife out to earn their living, and concentrated on writing. That was the key to success; publishers would print material by an author whose name was short enough.
Piers Anthony sold his first story in 1962 and had his first novel, Chthon, published in 1967. His first fantasy in 'The Magic of Xanth' series, A Spell For Chameleon, won the August Derleth Fantasy Award as the best novel in 1977.
He has written over one hundred books in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and martial arts, and is a New York Times-bestselling author. [edit]
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