‘My dear Elizabeth, I must beg of you not to call me "Lulu". Such a dreadful abbreviation. How would you like to be called "Liblib" or something like that?’

Part of a six-instalment comic book series, Mapp and Lucia, which recounts the eccentric tales of various women in the 1920s and their fight for social status, Mapp and Lucia sees the two iconic protagonists – Emmeline Lucas and Elizabeth Mapp – finally cross paths. It is the fourth book in Benson’s hugely successful series.

Renowned show-off Mrs Emmeline ‘Lucia’ Lucas decides to take up summer residence in the small seaside resort of Tilling, home to none other than the formidable Miss Elizabeth Mapp. Both women – strong-willed and ambitious – soon engage in a battle of wits and social one-upmanship, determined to be crowned the queen bee of the town. Through elaborate tea parties, skilful charm offenses and Machiavellian scheming, Lucia and Elizabeth fight to gain dominance over the tight-knit community. But is the town big enough for both women? Full of sharp-witted dialogue, eccentric characters and a chaotic unfolding of events, Mapp and Lucia is a true highlight of Benson’s popular series. This audiobook edition is expertly read by Lucy Scott.

E.F. Benson (1867 – 1940) was an English novelist, historian and short story writer, best known for his Mapp and Lucia series and the successful novel, Dodo (1893).