The Doctor Who Feigned Manhood
Barrymaniac
/ˈbɑːri meɪnɪak/
noun
person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal for Dr James Barry (1789-1865), a 19th century transgender army surgeon from Cork City, Ireland.
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Books Discussing Dr James Barry!
The below books are separated into sections depending on what type of book they are. Each one is formatted thusly:
Title of the book by Author [year] gender
- M/♂ - the book or article treats Barry as a man, trans or otherwise.
- F/♀ - the book or article treats Barry as a woman.
- Third thing/⚥ - the book or article takes no 'stance' on Barry's gender; uses they/them or no pronouns for Barry; may switch between using he/him or she/her depending on Barry's presentation at the time.
For more information on these books see the Book Overview page, for articles about Barry try the More Reading page and for podcasts, videos and music try More Info page!
Nonfiction
- The Strange Story of Dr James Barry: Army Surgeon, Inspector-General of Hospitals, Discovered on Death to be a Woman by Isobel Rae [1958]♀
- The Perfect Gentleman: The Remarkable Life of Dr. James Miranda Barry, the Woman who Served as an Officer in the British Army from 1813 to 1859 by June Rose [1977]♀
- Scanty Particulars: The Scandalous Life and Astonishing Secret of James Barry, Queen Victoria's Most Eminent Military Doctor or The Secret Life of Dr James Barry Victorian England's Most Eminent Surgeon by Rachel Holmes [2002, updated introduction 2020]♂
- Dr James Barry: A Woman Ahead of Her Time by Michael du Preez and Jeremy Dronfield [2016]⚥
- Neo-/Victorian Biographilia & James Miranda Barry: A Study in Transgender & Transgenre by Ann Heilmann [2018]♂
Books that just mention him
- Women-At-Arms: their famous exploits through the ages by Reginald Hargreaves (1930)♀
- The Indomitable Lady Doctors by Carlotta Hacker [1974]♀
- Eminent Victorian Women by Elizabeth Longford [1981]♀
- Wild Irish Women: Extraordinary Lives from History by Marian Brodrick [2001]♀
- The Cape Doctor in the Nineteenth Century: A Social History edited by Harriet Deacon, Howard Phillips, and Elizabeth Van Heyningen [2004]
- Maverick: Extraordinary Women from South Africa's Past by Lauren Beukes [2004]
- Mná na hÉireann: Women Who Shaped Ireland by Nicola Depuis [2009]♀
- 100 Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces by Merna Forster [2011]
Fiction
- The Tavern or Cape Currey by René Juta [1920]
- The Journal of Dr. James Barry or Dr James Barry: her secret story by Olga Racster and Jessica Grove [1932]♀
- James Miranda Barry or The Doctor by Patricia Duncker [1999]♀
- The Secret Life Of Dr. James Miranda Barry by Anne and Ivan Kronenfeld [2000]
- A Modern Sphinx by Ebenezer Rogers, reprinted as "Madeline's Mystery" edited by Mary Elizabeth Braddon [1881] ♀
- Stranger in a Sacred Land by Susan Sorek [2014]
- The Cape Doctor by E.J. Levy [2020]
- With a Silent Companion by Town, Florida Ann
- Tiger's Heart by Kit Brennan [1998]
Children's
- The Mysterious Life of Dr Barry: A Surgeon Unlike Any Other by Lisa Williamson [2020]
- The Cottonwool Doctor by Jean de Wet, Michelle Matthews and Bridgitte Potton [2014]
- Were I Not a Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry by Lisa Robinson [2020]
Books that just mention him
- She Dared: True Stories of Heroines, Scoundrels, and Renegades by Ed Butts, illustraed by Heather Collins [2005]
- Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World by Sarah Webb [2018] ⚥
- Fantastically Great Women Who Worked Wonders by Kate Pankhurst [2019]
Other
- 'A Mystery Still' by Anonymous [Short story, 1867] [Overview]
- Dr James Barry (1795?-1865) Inspector-General of Military Hospitals: A Bibliography by Margaret Bevan (1966) [Overview]
- Dr Barry/Colours by Jean Binnie [Play, 1988]
- Whistling Psyche by Sebastian Barry [Play, 2004]
- Barry: a Personal Statement, written by Fredrick Mohr [Play, 1984]
- Grow Old, Growing Lovely - (1951) https://archive.org/details/GrowLovelyGrowingOld/page/n1/mode/2up
- The Surgeon's Brain by Oscar Upperton [Poetry, 2022]
Non-English language books
- Die kapokdokter (The Cottonwool Doctor) by François Loots [Novel, Afrikaans, 2022]
- La vie mystérieuse, insolente et héroïque du docteur James Barry (née Margaret Bulkley) (The Mysterious, Insolent, and Heroic Life of Dr James Barry (born Margaret Bulkley) by Isabelle Bauthian [Graphic Novel, French, 2020]
- Le secret du docteur Barry (The Secret of Dr Barry) by Sylvie Ouellette [Novel, French, 2012]
- La Dama de hierro: La historia secreta de James Barry (The Iron Lady: The Secret History of James Barry) by Arjona Ollero, Juan Carlos [Novel, Spanish, English]