Hemelein Publications is pleased to announce a new edition of The Bacillus of Beauty, a science fiction novel by Harriet Stark (1868-1944). It follows John Burke on his first trip to New York City in order to meet up with his fiancé, Helen. She’s been studying biology, and she allowed her professor to inject her with the “bacillus of beauty”, making her the most beautiful woman in the world. The novel explores the results and consequences of this choice.
Published originally in 1900 by the Frederick A. Stokes Company in New York City, this is one of the first (if not the first) science fiction novels published by someone from Utah. This new edition has been edited and typeset for modern audiences, complete with a beautiful cover illustration by George Frederic Watts. Stark got the idea for the novel after seeing a demonstration of bacillus culturing in buttermaking at Wesleyan University. She was born in Payson, where she spent most of her life.
The Bacillus of Beauty is scheduled for publication in July 2022 and will be the fifth volume in the Legacy of the Corridor publication series highlighting established and lesser-known authors from the Intermountain West.
