I was very happy to discover these new editions of the Mapp and Lucia sextet recently. They're only due to be published on the 15th April but at a super-economical retail price of £1.99 (and currently on pre-order at the Book Depository at £1.49), I thought it was worth a mention.
Wordsworth Classics have always striven to provide access to classic literature at an affordable price and I'm so glad that these witty tales have been added to their illustrious ranks.
I quite like the cover art as it appears to depict the river in Rye (a.k.a. Tilling in some of the novels). The first volume reminds me of Lucia's first home in Tilling, Grebe, located among the marshes and the second volume appears to be a view of the canal from a vantage point in the town.
I'm tempted to buy these, even though I have the lovely Black Swan paperbacks, the Penguin volumes and the exquisite Folio edition (an extra birthday present from a very special friend). Naughty, I know, but at such a wonderful price I think I might not feel guilty for too long.
So... as a celebration of the enduring appeal of Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels (and as a belated blog birthday gift), I'm holding a Giveaway. The prize is a brand new copy of the gorgeous recently published Vintage edition of Mapp and Lucia.
To entice those of you new to Mapp and Lucia, the blurb below (from the Prion edition) gives a humorous outline of the series and this book is an excellent place to begin:
"Mapp and Lucia is the centrepiece of E.F. Benson's series of Lucia novels - bringing together for the first time the eponymous middle-aged doyennes of polite 1930s society, Miss Elizabeth Mapp and Emmeline Lucas (Lucia to her friends).
Lucia, recently widowed, is the newcomer to the village of Tilling and eager to wrest the reins of social supremacy from the incumbant Miss Mapp and install herself as its benevolent dictator. In their polite acts of sabotage and ruthless jockeying for the position of cultural arbiter Mapp and Lucia tear up the conventions of drawing-room bridge evenings as their deadly weapons.
Things finally come to a head with Miss Mapp's audacious attempt to steal her rival's celebrated Lobster a la Riseholme. E.F. Benson's charming satrical bent turns the pretensions and snobberies of English village life into a vicious comedy."
Anyone can enter - whether you'd like to read M&L for the first time, simply covet this edition or would like to add it to the rest of your collection - everyone is welcome! To enter, please leave a comment and I will hold a random draw on Friday, 25 February 2011. I am happy to post anywhere in the world (to be fulfilled by the Book Depository) so please don't hesitate. Good luck!
