Nequa; or, The Problem of the Ages

by Alcanoan O. Grigsby

"Nequa; or, The Problem of the Ages" by Alcanoan O. Grigsby and Mary P. Lowe is a novel published in 1900. One of America's first feminist science fiction works, it follows Jack Adams—secretly a woman named Cassie disguised as a man—on an Arctic voyage searching for her betrothed. When their ship sails beyond the North Pole, they discover a passage into the hollow Earth, encountering the Altrurians, an advanced cooperative society. This utopian tale blends adventure with Populist politics and challenges conventional gender roles.