Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson

Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson is a 1993 anthology by George Alec Effinger, collecting all of his stories (up to 1993) about Maureen "Muffy" Birnbaum, a Jewish-American princess who is magically teleported to various fantasy and science fiction universes, and later recounts the tales to her best friend, "Bitsy" Spiegelman. Originally written on his own initiative, the character proved popular enough for Effinger to gain several requests from authors to have versions of their work visited by Muffy.

Maureen Birnbaum,
Barbarian Swordsperson
First edition (Swan Press, 1993)
AuthorGeorge Alec Effinger
Illustrator
Cover artist
  • Peggy Ranson (1993)
  • Ken Kelly (1994)
Publisher
  • Swan Press (1993)
  • SFBC (1994)
Publication date
  • June 1993
  • August 1994
Media type
  • trade paper (1993)
  • hardcover (1994)
ISBN1-883722-01-2 (1993)
1-56865-101-5 (1994)

In addition to satirizing and spoofing the various themes, the stories had a feminist undertone, as Maureen dealt with the often sexist reactions of the inhabitants of the worlds she met, struggled to find the Martian prince she had fallen in love with, and contrasted her adventures with the life of Bitsy, a housewife with an increasingly unhappy marriage.

The anthology had two editions:[1]

  • Swan Press trade paper (June 1993, ISBN 1-883722-01-2) cover and interior illustrations by Peggy Ranson.[2]
  • Guild America/SFBC hardcover (Aug. 1994, ISBN 1-56865-101-5) cover and interior illustrations by Ken Kelly.[3]
The hardcover reused the trade paper’s copyright page (i.e. date and illustration credit). The hardcover's jacket has the correct credit, and the correct date was advertised in Locus magazine.[3]

Contents
Details of included stories[4]
Title Story parodied Original publication Notes
"A Few Words from Muffy Birnbaum's Most Passionate Admirer"—this anthologyIntroduction by Mike Resnick
"Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson"BarsoomFantasy & Science Fiction, January 1982 
"Maureen Birnbaum at the Earth's Core"PellucidarFantasy & Science Fiction, February 1986 
"Maureen Birnbaum on the Art of War"HorseclansFriends of the Horseclans (1987)ISBN 0-451-14789-8
"Maureen Birnbaum After Dark""Nightfall"Foundation's Friends (1989)ISBN 0-312-93174-3
"Maureen Birnbaum Goes Shopynge"Robin HoodThe Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood (1991)ISBN 0-451-17053-9
"Maureen Birnbaum and the Saint Graal"Grail legendwritten for Grails: Visitations of the Night (1994)ISBN 0-451-45304-2
"Maureen Birnbaum and the Looming Awfulness"Cthulhu Mythosthis anthology 
"Maureen Birnbaum's Lunar Adventure"feghootscience fiction convention program (1986)Revised for this anthology[5]

"Maureen Birnbaum on a Hot Tin Roof" (1994)

South from Midnight (1994), anthology edited by Richard Gilliam, Martin H. Greenberg, & Thomas R. Hanlon
Fantasy & Science Fiction (August 1996), edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

"Maureen Birnbaum in the MUD" (1995)

Chicks in Chainmail (1995), anthology edited by Esther Friesner
Chicks Ahoy (2010), anthology edited by Esther Friesner

"Maureen Birnbaum Pokes an Eye Out" (1996)

Don't Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear (1996), anthology edited by Jody Lynn Nye

References
  1. Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  2. Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson: The Complete Stories publication contents at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  3. Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson publication contents at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  4. Maureen Birnbaum series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  5. Johnson, R. "Maureen Birmbaum's Lunar Adventure, 1986 version". ERBzine. Bill Hillman.
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