Unique to this title is a study of the themes present in Herland.

You may, of course, skip it and go straight to the main title if you do not want any spoilers, and come back later to the beginning.

Gilman was born in 1860 in Connecticut. When she was a child, her father abandoned his wife and children, and she spent the rest of her childhood in poverty. Since her mother was not able to support the family, her aunts played a big part in her upbringing.

Her schooling was erratic, and she attended seven different schools in just four years, finishing when she was fifteen. To prevent her children from getting hurt as she had been, her mother forbade them to make strong friendships or read fiction. 

Despite that, Gilman spent a lot of time in the local library studying ancient civilizations on her own. 

Herland is a utopian novel from 1915, written by feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in which exists an isolated society composed entirely of women, who reproduce via parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction). The result is an ideal social order: free of war, conflict, and domination. 

Enjoy this timeless classic!