 Coles' first novel and work up to that time were published anonymously.Part of an article in the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (January 18, 1891) states,"One of the notable points in the history of American literature was the great success of the novel 'Rutledge,' published in 1860, the long continued discussion and inquiry as to its authorship and the remarkable claims of two or three women in various parts of the country to have written it.The book ran through edition after edition, and was talked about with equal vigor in the newspaper columns and in drawing rooms and boarding schools.