Sisters of Tomorrow: The First Woman of Science Fiction reminds me of the fine movie, Hidden Figures. Women were involved in Science Fiction from the beginning and Sisters of Tomorrow presents plenty of examples of short stories, poems, journalism, editorial content, and artwork that women produced from the early decades of the 1920s to the 1950s. Lisa Yaszek and Patrick B. Sharp provide supporting information on these women to put their efforts into context of their times. The untold stories of women’s impact on the new genre of Science Fiction engaged me. The only SF story in this collection that I’d read previously was C. L. Moore’s classic “Shambleau.” If you’re interested in Science Fiction history and the story of women’s role in it, Sisters of Tomorrow does a remarkable job of enlightening readers. I also really like the cover artwork by Milton Luros that first appeared on the cover of the November 1950 issue of Future 2.4. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: New Work for New Women
• 1. AUTHORS
• Clare Winger Harris—“The Evolutionary Monstrosity” (1929)
• Leslie F. Stone—“Out of the Void” (1929)
• Lilith Lorraine—“Into the 28th Century” (1930)
• L. Taylor Hansen—“The Man from Space” (1930)
• C. L. Moore—“Shambleau” (1933)
• Dorothy Gertrude Quick—“Strange Orchids” (1937)
• Amelia Reynolds Long—“Reverse Phylogeny” (1937)
• Leslie Perri—“Space Episode” (1941)
• Dorothy Louise Les Tina—“When You Think That . . . Smile!” (1943)
• 2. POETS
• JULIA BOYNTON GREEN
• “The Night Express” (1931)
• “Evolution” (1931)
• “Radio Revelations” (1932)
• VIRGINIA KIDD
• “Untitled” (1933)
• LEAH BODINE DRAKE
• “They Run Again” (1939)
• “The Wood-Wife” (1942)
• “Sea-Shell” (1943)
• TIGRINA
• “Defiance” (1945)
• “Affinity” (1945)
• LILITH LORRAINE
• “Earthlight on the Moon” (1941)
• “The Acolytes” (1946)
• “Men Keep Strange Trysts” (1946)
• 3. JOURNALISTS
• ELLEN REED, FRAN MILES, HENRIETTA BROWN, LYNN STANDISH, AND LAURA MOORE WRIGHT
• Ellen Reed, “Natural Ink” (1942)
• Fran Miles, “Oil for Bombing” (1944)
• Henrietta Brown, “Marine Engineering in the Insect World” (1945)
• Lynn Standish, “The Battle of the Sexes” (1943)
• Lynn Standish, “Scientific Oddities” (1945)
• Laura Moore Wright, “Sunlight” (1946)
• L. TAYLOR HANSEN
• “Scientific Mysteries: The White Race—Does It Exist?” (1942)
• “Scientific Mysteries: Footprints of the Dragon” (1944)
• H. Malamud, I. Berkman, and H. Rogovin, “A Protest” (1943)
• L. Taylor Hansen, “L. Taylor Hansen Defends Himself” (1943)
• 4. EDITORS
• MARY GNAEDINGER
• “Editorial Note” (1939)
• “The Editor’s Page” (1940)
• “The Editor’s Page” (1943)
• DOROTHY STEVENS MCILWRAITH
• “The Eyrie” (1940)
• “The Eyrie” (1940)
• “The Eyrie” (1941)
• LILITH LORRAINE
• “Cracks—Wise and Otherwise” (1943)
• “Training for World Citizenship” (1946)
• “The Story of Different” (1950)
• 5. ARTISTS
• Olivette Bourgeois
• Lucille Webster Holling
• Margaret Johnson Brundage
• Dorothy Louise Les Tina
• Dolly Rackley Donnell
• Conclusion: Challenging the Narrative, Or, Women Take Back Science Fiction—Kathleen Ann Goonan
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
Added to my tbr list immediately. And can we please have a caption contest for that fabulous cover? I hear her saying, in hardboiled dame fashion, “He’s mine, gals, so back off!”
Deb, I think she’s thinking, “I wish George gone to Weight Watchers!”
This cover makes a nice counterpoint with the RANCH ROMANCES cover from last week: http://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2017/03/fridays-forgotten-books-and-magazines.html
One wonders how many stories, among the collaboration-mad Furturians (with most of the collaborations published under joint pseudonyms) that Doris “Leslie Perri” Baumbardt might’ve had a hand in. Then again, she apparently wrote most of MOVIE LOVE STORIES, the no-budget romance fiction magazine she edited for the Albings, the same bootstrappers who were publishing Donald Wollheim’s COSMIC STORIES and STIRRING SCIENCE STORIES…I’ll be doing a book eventually that has at least one Dorothy Les Tina story in it, as well, if I remember correctly…and too bad they didn’t snag one of Lila Schaeffer’s (assistant-)editorials from AMAZING or FANTASTIC ADVENTURES…Bea Mahaffey over at UNIVERSE, as well…thanks for the pointer…
Baumgardt, that is. She also went by Doe Baumgardt, but apparently preferred “Leslie Perri” for her fannish and pro work, at least until her newspaper days later on.
Todd, I think SISTER OF TOMORROW is just scratching the surface of women’s role in the formation of Science Fiction. More volumes will explore more aspects.
(Really, though…no Leigh Brackett nor Margaret St. Clair? And I’ll wake up enough eventually to note that Les Tina made it into the fiction column here, as well.) (Frederik Pohl was fortunate enough to have been married to both Baumgardt and Les Tina, albeit briefly in both cases.)(Richard Wilson also was married to Baumgardt later on.)
Todd, I’m just guessing but I suspect Leigh Brackett and Margarett St. Clair and Cele Goldsmith will be featured in future volumes of SISTERS OF TOMORROW.
LIla Shaeffer was the assistant editor at Ziff-Davis, along with William Hamling, who helped smooth the transition between Ray Palmer and Howard Browne…she wrote the editorials signed “les” for their magazines…yeah, a citation for Goldsmith Lalli will be a must!
Todd, if the sales of SISTERS OF TOMORROW are strong, more volumes will be published. But not a lot of people knew about SISTERS OF TOMORROW. I learned about it in LOCUS.
Moore and Leigh Brackett are the only ones I’m familiar with, so this definitely fills a gap.
I like the cover too.
Jeff, the cover is very cool! I’d never seen it before.
Yes, C L Moore and Leigh Brackett really were in a class of their own!
Especially the Brackett Mars had me fascinated when I found the first stories more than 50 years ago.
Writing that I realise that I’ve become really old …
Wolf, come on! Age is just a number! You’re fit as a fiddle!
Thanks, George – but one must be realistic …
But I’m not complaing, life has been fun – and we still find new things to read and to do!
Wolf, exactly! We all need to enjoy the ride that Life gives us!