The book contains a collection of pseudonyms of people who have gained fame in all branches of human activity, and for one reason or another took a fictitious name for themselves. These are famous writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, whose works are included in the golden fund of world literature, and great actors, composers, musicians, scientists... It is amazing how many famous names, surnames and patronymics are not “relatives”, but pseudonyms. And it doesn’t matter by whose will the grandfather of the great Mendeleev replaced his surname Sokolov with a pseudonym he liked, but it is the periodic table that schoolchildren all over the world study in chemistry lessons. Fate, as we know, knows best who and when to force to take a fictitious name. The book is detailed, fictional, it contains interesting biographical data, and tells the stories of the “acquisition” of pseudonyms. It is intended for a wide range of readers.