NEQUA or The Problem of the Ages
Early feminist sci-fi novel set inside a hollow Earth.
NEQUA or The Problem of the Ages is an early American feminist science fiction novel and an early example of Hollow Earth fiction. It first appeared as a serial in the newspaper *Equity* and was later released in book form in Topeka, Kansas, in 1900. The title page lists Jack Adams as author, but this is a pseudonym. Bibliographers have identified the writers as Alcanoan O. Grigsby and Mary P. Lowe, though the first edition credits Dr. T. A. H. Lowe with the original concepts.
The story follows Jack Adams, a male narrator, who embarks on a voyage to the Arctic. The ship becomes icebound, then freed, and sails north. The captain, Rafael Ganoa, is astonished when the compasses indicate they are traveling south at a point that should be near the North Pole. They have entered the interior of the Earth, where they encounter the Altrurians, a society more cooperative than those on the surface. Members of this society explain their evolution, reflecting Populist and feminist political ideas of the era. A romantic subplot develops between Jack Adams and a separate character named Nequa, who is not an alias for Jack. Nequa writes a manuscript about the voyage and leaves it in an aeroplane for the outside world, which becomes the book the reader holds.
Misunderstandings about the book’s authorship have arisen from compilations that include it. Barbara Quissell’s article “New World That Eve Made: Feminist Utopias Written by Nineteenth-Century Women,” in Kenneth Roemer’s *America as Utopia*, discusses A. O. Grigsby as a woman writer. In *Science-Fiction, the Early Years*, Everett Franklin Bleiler lists the authors as Alcanoan O. Grigsby (male) and Mary P. Lowe (female). A. O. Grigsby was a Populist and later Socialist who edited several newspapers from the 1890s through 1900. Mary P. Lowe edited *The New Woman*, a suffrage paper, and co-edited *Equity* with Grigsby; complete microfilm editions are held by the Kansas State Historical Society.
Dr. T. A. H. Lowe studied Eclectic Medicine at the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati. *Nequa* shares ideas with other Hollow Earth books, n
- published
- 1900
- genre
- Feminist science fiction, Hollow Earth novel
- authorship
- Jack Adams (pseudonym); attributed to Alcanoan O. Grigsby and Mary P. Lowe
- original_format
- Serialized in Equity newspaper; book form in Topeka, Kansas
- key_themes
- Feminism, Populism, cooperative society, hollow earth
Lore & Background
The plot of NEQUA follows Jack Adams, a male narrator, whose ship becomes trapped in Arctic ice, then sails into the interior of the Earth, where they encounter the Altrurians, a cooperative society with feminist and Populist ideals. A romantic subplot develops between Jack Adams and Nequa, a separate character who writes a manuscript about the voyage and sends it to the outside world via an aeroplane.
Reader's Guide
NEQUA holds significance as one of the earliest feminist science fiction works in the United States, blending Hollow Earth mythology with Populist and women's suffrage themes. Its authorship remains disputed: the title page uses the pseudonym Jack Adams, while bibliographers Everett Franklin Bleiler and Barbara Quissell have assigned it to Alcanoan O. Grigsby (a male Populist editor) and Mary P. Lowe (a female editor of The New Woman and co-editor of Equity). The first edition credits Dr. T. A. H. Lowe with the original ideas. The novel reflects the political activism of its creators, who used the printed word to further their causes. Out of print for 115 years, NEQUA has seen renewed interest online, with a third edition published in 2015 and an online edition in 2017. It is held by only eleven libraries according to Worldcat.
Did You Know?
- NEQUA is one of the first feminist science fiction books published in the United States.
- The title page lists Jack Adams as author, but the copyright page credits Dr. T. A. H. Lowe with the original concepts.
- The protagonist is Jack Adams, a male narrator, not Cassie Van Ness; Nequa is a separate character, not an alias.
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