Four Hands Press
An independent literary imprint in London
Forthcoming
The Rise of Lucia
Set in a private Kensington hotel in 1900, The Rise of Lucia follows the nineteen-year-old Emmeline Smith - before she became the formidable Lucia - and her mother, who have taken rooms with a view to marrying Emmeline off well. Among the guests they find themselves entangled with: a harried hotelier, a cast of eccentrics, and an enterprising young man with a new Reducing Cordial for them all to try.
A prequel to E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series.
Library
Classic novels to read online
- Queen Lucia
E.F. Benson
- Miss Mapp
E.F. Benson
- Lucia in London
E.F. Benson
- Mapp and Lucia
E.F. Benson
- Lucia's Progress
E.F. Benson
- Trouble for Lucia
E.F. Benson
- Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
- Emma
Jane Austen
- Fanny Hill
John Cleland
Articles
- Writing advice from Jane Austen's teacher
Hugh Blair wrote the composition textbook Jane Austen's generation learned from. His rules for clear, unaffected prose read like a modern style guide.
- The sex scenes from Fanny Hill
The eleven substantial sex scenes from Fanny Hill (1748), verbatim and in order. Explicit throughout, but Cleland never uses a coarse word. 14,000 words.
About
Four Hands Press publishes fiction that rewards close attention.
Frequently asked
- Are these novels free to read?
- Yes. Every novel on Four Hands Press is a complete public-domain edition you can read in your browser, one chapter at a time, at no cost.
- What order should I read the Mapp and Lucia novels?
- Publication order works best. Queen Lucia, then Miss Mapp, Lucia in London, Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress, and Trouble for Lucia.
- What is Four Hands Press?
- An independent literary imprint in London. It publishes clean, readable editions of public-domain classics alongside its own forthcoming fiction.
- Who wrote The Rise of Lucia?
- Dan Edwards. It is a prequel to E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series, following the young Emmeline Smith before she became the formidable Lucia.