The Secret Feminist Cabal

Now that Kath has sent me a jpg of the cover of Helen Merrick's The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms, I can announce that the book is at the printer and will be out in December. The Secret Feminist Cabal is one of those rare academic books written in such elegant, lucid prose that its audience will likely include anyone interested in its subject matter-- in this case, the inner workings of the world of feminist sf, which is sometimes referred to as "the secret feminist cabal." The cover illustration is by L.A., who designed the cover of the third volume of The WisCon Chronicles. (To get a clearer view of the cover, double-click on the image.)

Here's what Gwyneth Jones has to say about the book:

I really enjoyed this. It's a wonderfully thorough, analytical, and inclusive account, sure to become an indispensable resource. Better than that, it's a terrific read. Here you'll find everything you always wanted to know about women in fandom, women in publishing, women as writers: why "James Tiptree Jr" was thrown out of the legendary Khatru symposium on gender; what really happened in the ancient UK scandal of "Femizine," the "all female" fanzine that wasn't. . . with the added value that the snippets of tasty vintage gossip are woven into a rich fabric of discourse. Helen Merrick's style is unassuming yet authoritative; she manages to be a scholar and an entertainer at the same time. Years ago, I read Women of Other Worlds, edited by Helen Merrick and Tess Williams, and was impressed. The Secret Feminist Cabal is more demanding, an ambitious project, but equally successful: this is a fine book.