Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer

(Paperback)

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Originally published in 1909, Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer is the debut feminist science fiction novel by Irene Clyde.

Mary Harthereley is lost. After being struck by a camels hoof, Mary finds herself thrown into an alternate plane of existence some five hundred years in the past. Discovered by people of the local province, she is escorted into the Kingdom of Armeria ruled by Queen Beatrice the Sixteenth. Welcomed by the inhabitants, Mary is introduced to a rather progresive society wherein there is no gender, divorce or carnivores and is taken in by their concept of conjux,lifetime partnerships based on romantic love and companionship rather than sex. Finding herself growing fond of the kingdom, Mary uncovers deception and plot as a war threatens to upend all that the Armerias hold dear.

Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Beatrice the Sixteenth is a classic of feminist science fiction literature, reimagined for modern readers.

Author Bio

Irene Clyde(1869 - 1954) was a pioneering transgender author and lawyer. Orphaned at a young age, Clydewho also went by their birth name, Thomas Batywas an exceptionally bright student whose merits allowed them entry to The Queens College in Oxford. Earning degrees from Trinity College, Oxford and the aforementioned Queens College, they became an expert in the field of international law. Starting out simply teaching law at a multitude of British universities, Clyde would begin their writing career publishing books on international law. Becoming more interested in publicly addressing their views on sexuality and gender, Clyde would publish Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer in 1909. Though largely overlooked in its time, the novel is an early work of feminist science fiction and one of the first to be published by a transgender author. Several years after this, Clyde would work with a small group of editors to put out a privately circulated feminist gender studies journal entitled, Urania. In 1915, Clyde would leave for Japan and growing to love the country, would spend their remaining years serving the Japanese government as a foreign legal adviser. Known in their lifetime as a radical feminst and pacifist, Clyde presented themselves outside of gender-conforming norms and would be considered today to be either non-binary or transgender.