In This Our World was published by McCombs & Vaughn (San Francisco) in 1893, with expanded editions in 1895 and 1898 (Small, Maynard). The poems made Gilman famous before her prose did: she recited them on the lecture circuit across America, and their combination of wit, anger, and clarity attracted audiences that more conventional poetry could not reach.
“Similar Cases” — the collection’s most famous poem — applies Darwinian evolution satirically to social conservatism: a prehistoric fish argues against leaving the water, a prehistoric reptile argues against growing wings, and by analogy, Victorian conservatives argue against social change. William Dean Howells praised it publicly, which launched Gilman’s national reputation.
The other poems address women’s economic dependence, the hypocrisy of charitable philanthropy, the absurdity of nationalism, and the waste of human potential under capitalism. They are not great poetry by formal standards — Gilman sacrificed music to message — but they are extraordinarily effective as political speech: clear, memorable, and impossible to misunderstand. Their closest parallel is not Dickinson or Whitman but the satirical verse of Jonathan Swift.
Collecting In This Our World
First edition (McCombs & Vaughn, San Francisco, 1893): Paper wrappers.
Market values:
- First edition, fine: $300–$800
- Very good: $100–$300
- Small, Maynard expanded edition (1898): $100–$250