diff --git a/tugboat/tests/tests_unit/test_search_redirect.py b/tugboat/tests/tests_unit/test_search_redirect.py
index 857f032..18cf6a2 100644
--- a/tugboat/tests/tests_unit/test_search_redirect.py
+++ b/tugboat/tests/tests_unit/test_search_redirect.py
@@ -102,6 +102,46 @@ def test_authors(self):
                          '&format=SHORT' + '/',
                          author_search) # authors with or
 
+        # first author
+        req.args = MultiDict([('author', urllib.parse.quote('^Huchra, John'))])
+        req.args.update(self.append_defaults())
+        view = ClassicSearchRedirectView()
+        author_search = view.translate(req)
+        self.assertEqual('q=' + 'author:' + '"Huchra, John"' +
+                         '&sort=' + urllib.parse.quote('date desc, bibcode desc') +
+                         '&format=SHORT' + '/',
+                         author_search) # first author no quotes
+
+        # single author
+        req.args = MultiDict([('author', urllib.parse.quote('^Huchra, John$'))])
+        req.args.update(self.append_defaults())
+        view = ClassicSearchRedirectView()
+        author_search = view.translate(req)
+        self.assertEqual('q=' + '(author:"Huchra, John" and author_count:1)' +
+                         '&sort=' + urllib.parse.quote('date desc, bibcode desc') +
+                         '&format=SHORT' + '/',
+                         author_search) # single author no quotes
+
+        # multi word last name author, no initials
+        req.args = MultiDict([('author', urllib.parse.quote('^Dorigo Jones'))])
+        req.args.update(self.append_defaults())
+        view = ClassicSearchRedirectView()
+        author_search = view.translate(req)
+        self.assertEqual('q=' + 'author:"Dorigo Jones,"' +
+                         '&sort=' + urllib.parse.quote('date desc, bibcode desc') +
+                         '&format=SHORT' + '/',
+                         author_search) # single author, no initials, no quotes
+
+        # multi word last name author, no initials, quoted
+        req.args = MultiDict([('author', urllib.parse.quote('"^Dorigo Jones"'))])
+        req.args.update(self.append_defaults())
+        view = ClassicSearchRedirectView()
+        author_search = view.translate(req)
+        self.assertEqual('q=' + 'author:"Dorigo Jones,"' +
+                         '&sort=' + urllib.parse.quote('date desc, bibcode desc') +
+                         '&format=SHORT' + '/',
+                         author_search) # single author, no initials, with quotes
+
     def test_object(self):
         """object: single, multple, etc"""
         req = Request('get', 'http://test.test?')
diff --git a/tugboat/views.py b/tugboat/views.py
index f6e399b..3be5a3d 100644
--- a/tugboat/views.py
+++ b/tugboat/views.py
@@ -514,12 +514,29 @@ def translate_authors(self, args):
         authors_str = args.pop('author', None)
         if authors_str:
             authors = self.classic_field_to_array(authors_str)
-            # is it a single author search: ^last, first$
-            match = re.findall(r'\^(.*)\$', ' '.join(authors))
-            # yes
-            if match:
-                search = '(author:"' + match[0] + '" and author_count:1)'
-                self.translation.search.append(search)
+            single_author = ' '.join(authors).replace('"', '')
+            if re.match(r'\^', single_author):
+                # is it a single author search: ^last, first$
+                match = re.findall(r'\^([^$]*)\$', ' '.join(authors).replace('"', ''))
+                # yes
+                if match:
+                    search = '(author:"' + match[0] + '" and author_count:1)'
+                    self.translation.search.append(search)
+                else:
+                    # is it first author search: ^last, first
+                    match = re.findall(r'\^([A-Za-z]+,\s+[A-Za-z]+)', ' '.join(authors).replace('"', ''))
+                    # yes
+                    if match:
+                        search = 'author:"' + match[0] + '"'
+                        self.translation.search.append(search)
+                    else:
+                        # is it first author search, but with no first initials
+                        match = re.findall(r'\^([A-Za-z\s]+)', ' '.join(authors).replace('"', ''))
+                        # yes
+                        if match:
+                            search = 'author:"' + match[0] + ',"'
+                            self.translation.search.append(search)
+            # multiple authors
             else:
                 search += urllib.parse.quote(author_field) + '('
                 for author in authors: