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Women of Wonder: The Classic Years

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Women of Wonder: The Classic Years
Women of Wonder: The Classic Years cover
AuthorPamela Sargent
LanguageEnglish
SeriesWomen of Wonder series
GenreScience fiction
PublisherHarcourt Brace
Publication date
1995
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages440 pp
ISBN978-0-15-600031-4
Followed byWomen of Wonder: The Contemporary Years 

Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s is an anthology of short stories, novelettes, and novellas edited by Pamela Sargent. It was published in 1995, along a companion volume, Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the Present.[1]

The collection revisits fourteen works by female science fiction authors published in the out-of-print anthologies Women of Wonder, More Women of Wonder, and The New Women of Wonder and adds seven new pieces originally published between 1944 and 1978. It also includes a history of women in science fiction and a twelve-page list of recommended readings of science fiction by women from 1818 to 1978, which has been deemed "one of the highlights of the anthology."[2]

The Women of Wonder anthologies were one of the first science fiction collections to focus on women in science fiction both as authors and as varied and complex characters.[3]

Contents

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Reception

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In a first review, Sally Estes assesses The Classic Years as "[a]n eye-opening overview of science fiction and women between 1944 and 1978... Exploring topics such as prejudice, child abuse, vanity, stereotypes, aging, rape, obesity, and insanity, stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Zenna Henderson, Kit Reed, Kate Wilhelm, Joan Vinge, the pseudonymous James Tiptree Jr., and others are as disconcerting as they are intriguing."[4] She later extols the editorial work of Pamela Sargent for this follow up to the Women of Wonder series:

What makes the two volumes so fine is not only their sheer variety of stories, writing styles, and themes, but also Sargent's perceptive introduction to each anthology (together, these essays provide a canny overview of women in science fiction) and each book's extensive lists of novels, collections, anthologies, and short fiction for further reading. A veritable feast for SF fans.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Nicoll, James Davis (2019-04-18). "A Brief History of Pamela Sargent's Women of Wonder Anthologies". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  2. ^ Nicoll, James Davis. "Return to SF About Women, By Women". James Nicoll Reviews. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  3. ^ "Sargent, Pamela". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  4. ^ a b Sargent, Pamela, ed. (1995). Women of Wonder: The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s (1st ed.). San Diego: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0-15-600031-8. OCLC 31434280.
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