Herland

Towards the end of the 19th century a big movement for women's suffrage started up on both sides of the Atlantic. Accompanying the political campaign, there were many stories that showed the social roles of men and women reversed, or women achieving high office by the simple expedient of dressing as men. But far and away the best and most innovative of these early feminist science fiction works was Herland. The story tells of three male adventurers who explore an uncharted territory and discover a land composed entirely of women, who reproduce by parthenogenesis and so have no need or understanding of men. The three men each bring different but typically Victorian ideas of womanhood to Herland, and the story is basically about their learning curve as they have to come to terms with strong, capable women who really have no need of men. Why it's on the list: There are stories by Sheri Tepper, Sally Miller Gearhart, Lucy Sussex and many more that all trace their origins directly back to Herland. It is one of the most influential of all feminist science fictions, and it's a remarkably engaging story