Uncovering the Mystery Behind Prince Madog’s Author 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

One year ago today, we reissued a remarkable and long-forgotten book: Prince Madog, a novel imagining a Welsh prince discovering the Americas nearly 300 years before Columbus. First published in 1909 and out of print for more than a century, it was a rare literary gem we felt deserved a new life.

But as rewarding as it was to republish the book, it led us down an unexpected path—into a literary mystery.

Who was Joan Dane?

That’s the name on the cover of Prince Madog, but curiously, none of the original editions contain any biographical information. We found no mention of her in author directories of the Edwardian period, and despite combing through Welsh literary records, pseudonym registries, and early 20th-century publishing archives, we kept coming up empty. There is simply no known record of a writer named Joan Dane active in 1909.

(New York Tribune article from December 26 1909)

Our search included the Literary Year Book, a comprehensive directory of pseudonyms and authors in that period. Again, no trace of Joan Dane. But we did come across something interesting: a pseudonym listed as “J. Colne Dacre,” which turned out to be the pen name of Mary S. Boyd—the wife of Alexander Stuart Boyd, the illustrator of Prince Madog.

That’s when we turned to the book itself—and its artwork.

The original illustrations in Prince Madog were credited to Alexander Stuart Boyd, a prominent Scottish illustrator. His name, combined with the discovery of his wife’s pseudonym, sparked a new line of thought: could Joan Dane actually be Mary Stuart Boyd (née Mary Rennie Wilson Kirkwood)?

The more we looked, the more this theory made sense:

• Mary S. Boyd had a background in writing—particularly travel writing, often focused on remote or mythic island settings (Fortunate Isles, Isles of the Blest, The Forgotten Isles).

• She was a published author and experienced journalist who used pseudonyms, including “J. Colne Dacre.”

• She was active in the same literary and artistic circles as her husband.

• She had collaborated with Alexander on other illustrated books.

While there’s no definitive proof, the circumstantial evidence is strong enough that even a Welsh literature expert we consulted independently came to the same conclusion: “Joan Dane” was most likely Mary S. Boyd.

As for the pseudonym itself? We can’t help but wonder if “Joan Dane” might be a clever anagram or nod to the placeholder name “Jane Doe”—a subtle joke from a writer who had a history of writing under aliases.

We admit—none of this is conclusive. It could be coincidence. But for now, it’s the best theory we have.

We’re sharing this story in the hope that someone out there might hold the missing piece. Perhaps you’ve come across the name in family papers, stumbled upon a reference in an old journal, or heard stories of a mysterious writer connected to the Boyds. If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Joan Dane—whoever she truly was—left behind a novel full of vision, myth, and adventure. And now, over a century later, she’s gifted us another journey: the quest to discover her true identity.

If you know anything that could help us solve this literary mystery, please get in touch. Because some stories deserve to be told—both on the page, and behind the pen.

A Short Biography of Mary S. Boyd

Mary Stuart Boyd was born in 1860 in Glasgow and had a long and varied career as a journalist and author. In 1880, she married Alexander Stuart Boyd, a well-known illustrator and painter. His work appears in many of her books, including Our Stolen Summer (1900), Versailles Christmastide (1901), Prince Madog (1909), and The Forgotten Isles (1911).

The couple had one son, Stuart Boyd, who tragically died of his wounds during World War I.

Later in life, Mary and Alexander emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand, where they spent the rest of their lives, continuing to create, write, and contribute to the literary and artistic world—together.

Interesting links:
-A podcast on one of Mary S. Boyd's books: https://whatshernamepodcast.com/mary-stuart-boyd/

-A blog post on A S Boyd's life and works: https://bearalley.blogspot.com/2019/02/a-s-boyd.html