The E. F. Benson Ultimate Collection (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. 30 Novels and 70+ Short Stories, Illustrated—featuring Mapp and Lucia, the Dodo Trilogy, The Room in the Tower, Paying Guests, The Relentless City, historical works, and a biography of Charlotte BrontëBy E. F. Benson
Length334h 30m
About this audiobook
The E. F. Benson Ultimate Collection gathers the remarkable breadth of Benson's fiction, from the sparkling social warfare of the Mapp and Lucia novels to his elegant ghost stories and sharply observed comedies of manners. Written in a prose style at once urbane, ironic, and deceptively light, these works occupy a distinctive place in late Victorian, Edwardian, and interwar literature, where drawing-room wit, class performance, and the supernatural often reveal the anxieties beneath polite society. Edward Frederic Benson (1867–1940), son of Archbishop Edward White Benson and brother of A. C. and R. H. Benson, was formed by an intellectually ambitious, socially observant milieu. Educated at Cambridge and widely travelled, he brought to fiction both cosmopolitan experience and an intimate knowledge of English provincial life. His residence in Rye, later fictionalized as Tilling, helped shape his enduring comic vision of rivalry, snobbery, and self-invention. This collection is highly recommended for readers seeking both entertainment and literary sophistication. Benson's genius lies in making trivial disputes feel epic and spectral visitations feel psychologically exact. It is an indispensable volume for admirers of English social satire, classic supernatural fiction, and the subtle absurdities of human vanity.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length334 hrs 30 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 11, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26Lucia's Progress or The Worshipful Lucia (pt. 4)
2Introduction
27Trouble for Lucia (pt. 1)
3Historical Context
28Trouble for Lucia (pt. 2)
4Synopsis (Selection)
29Trouble for Lucia (pt. 3)
5Make Way For Lucia
30Trouble for Lucia (pt. 4)
Show all chaptersShow less
6Queen Lucia (pt. 1)
31The Male Impersonator
7Queen Lucia (pt. 2)
32Desirable Residences
8Queen Lucia (pt. 3)
33Dodo Trilogy
9Queen Lucia (pt. 4)
34Dodo A Detail of the Day
10Miss Mapp (pt. 1)
35Volume I (pt. 1)
11Miss Mapp (pt. 2)
36Volume I (pt. 2)
12Miss Mapp (pt. 3)
37Volume II (pt. 1)
13Miss Mapp (pt. 4)
38Volume II (pt. 2)
14Lucia in London (pt. 1)
39Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second (pt. 1)
15Lucia in London (pt. 2)
40Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second (pt. 2)
16Lucia in London (pt. 3)
41Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second (pt. 3)
17Lucia in London (pt. 4)
42Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second (pt. 4)
18Mapp and Lucia (pt. 1)
43Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second (pt. 5)
19Mapp and Lucia (pt. 2)
44Dodo Wonders (pt. 1)
20Mapp and Lucia (pt. 3)
45Dodo Wonders (pt. 2)
21Mapp and Lucia (pt. 4)
46Dodo Wonders (pt. 3)
22Mapp and Lucia (pt. 5)
47David Blaize Trilogy
23Lucia's Progress or The Worshipful Lucia (pt. 1)
48David Blaize (pt. 1)
24Lucia's Progress or The Worshipful Lucia (pt. 2)
49David Blaize (pt. 2)
25Lucia's Progress or The Worshipful Lucia (pt. 3)
50David Blaize (pt. 3)
Paying Guests (Unabridged) (Annotated)E. F. Benson10h 22m$2 · $0.00
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Mrs. Ames (Annotated)E. F. Benson11h 4m$2 · $0.00
Paying Guests (A Satirical Novel) (Annotated)E. F. Benson10h 26m$2 · $0.00
MAPP AND LUCIA (Annotated)E. F. Benson60h 38m$2 · $0.00
DAVID BLAIZE TRILOGY - Complete Collection (Illustrated) (Annotated)E. F. Benson24h 27m$2 · $0.00
Complete Short Stories of E. F. Benson: 70+ Classic, Ghost, Spook, Supernatural, Mystery and Other Tales (Annotated)E. F. Benson41h 46m$2 · $0.00
MAKE WAY FOR LUCIA - Complete Mapp and Lucia Series (6 Novels & 2 Short Stories) (Annotated)E. F. Benson60h 39m$2 · $0.00
The Luck of the Vails (Annotated)E. F. Benson12h 34m$2 · $0.00
Premium Short Stories Collection - Blackmailing, Crank, Spook & Classic Tales (Unabridged) (Annotated)E. F. Benson17h 23m$2 · $0.00
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An Act in a Backwater (Annotated)E. F. Benson7h 21m$2 · $0.00
The Relentless City (Annotated)E. F. Benson10h 26m$2 · $0.00
The Complete DODO TRILOGY: Dodo - A Detail of the Day, Dodo's Daughter & Dodo Wonders (Annotated)E. F. Benson27h 44m$2 · $0.00
The Relentless City (Unabridged) (Annotated)E. F. Benson10h 26m$2 · $0.00
Spook Stories - Complete Collection: 25 Supernatural, Mystery, Ghost and Haunting Tales (Annotated)E. F. Benson16h 6m$2 · $0.00
MAPP AND LUCIA SERIES – Complete Make Way For Lucia Collection: 6 Novels & 2 Short Stories In One VolumeE. F. Benson60h 34m$1 · $0.00
E. F. Benson: Complete Short Stories Collection: 70+ Classic, Ghost, Spook, Supernatural, Mystery, Haunting and Other TalesE. F. Benson41h 37m$1 · $0.00
The Babe, B.AE. F. Benson5h 5m$1 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë203h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of G. K. Chesterton (Annotated)G. K. Chesterton421h 37m$1.99 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$0.99 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft50h 45m$2 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Charlotte Brontë (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë80h 42m$0.99 · $0.00
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