posted 20 May 2001

Food For Thought: Women Authors Most Widely Used in College Science Fiction Courses

This list of books by women is culled from the full list of 105 titles and is reprinted here with permission from Science Fiction Studies, November 1996. The number on the left is each book's ranking on the total list.

The Books Most Widely Assigned (105 total)

1. Ursula K. LeGuin, LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (used by 103 of 404 professors surveyed)

3. Mary Shelley, FRANKENSTEIN (used by 74)

8. Ursula K. LeGuin, DISPOSSESSED (used by 49)

11. Margaret Atwood, THE HANDMAID'S TALE (used by 41)

17. Marge Piercy, WOMAN ON THE EDGE OF TIME (used by 27)

22 Joanna Russ, FEMALE MAN (used by 19)

22 Charlotte Gilman, HERLAND (used by 19)

25. Octavia Butler, DAWN (used by 18)

26. Sheri Tepper, GATE TO WOMEN'S COUNTRY (used by 17)

32. Marge Piercy, HE, SHE, AND IT (used by 14)

38. Ursula K. LeGuin, A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA (used by 13)

54. Joan Slonczewski, A DOOR INTO OCEAN (used by 9)

54. Octavia Butler, PARABLE OF THE SOWER (used by 9)

58. Ursula K. LeGuin, LATHE OF HEAVEN (used by 8)

58. Connie Willis, DOOMSDAY BOOK (used by 8)

72. Marion Zimmer Bradley, MISTS OF AVALON (used by 6)

83. Ursula K. LeGuin, TEHANU (used by 5)

83. Pat Cadigan, SYNNERS (used by 5)

The Anthologies Most Widely Assigned (9 anthologies were listed total)

3. Ursula K. LeGuin, Co-ed. NORTON BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION (used by 25 of 404 professors surveyed)

5 & 6. Pamela Sargent, Ed. WOMEN OF WONDER (used by 6)

The Authors Most Widely Assigned (56 authors were listed total)

1. Ursula K. LeGuin (used by 207 of 404 professors surveyed)

6. Mary Shelley (used by 83)

10. Octavia Butler (used by 47)

11. Marge Piercy (used by 46)

13. Margaret Atwood (used by 45)

15. Joanna Russ (used by 40)

25. Sheri Tepper (used by 22)

28. Charlotte Gilman (used by 20)

44. James Tiptree (used by 12)

50. Connie Willis (used by 11)

52. Joan Slonczewski (used by 10)

52. Marion Zimmer Bradley (used by 10)