Handheld Press sells stories, handpicked stories from the past and the present, because they are remarkable and wonderful. We publish the novels that we can’t put down, and the stories we want to give to our friends as presents. Handheld Press books are beautiful objects, designed and laid out with care. We hope you’ll think so too.
We’re in the news!
The Bookseller has selected our next Handheld Classic, Sylvia Townsend Warner’s Kingdoms of Elfin, as its Book of the Month, and we are chuffed to bits.
Freshly published
The Conscientious Objector’s Wife is our second Handheld Research title, a unique set of letters between Frank and Lucy Sunderland, written during the two and a half years that he was imprisoned for his refusal to join the army during the First World War. Women’s history, adult education, social and domestic history, Quaker and Christian pacifist ideology, Labour Party politics: it’s all there, along with scarlet fever, Spanish ‘flu and sudden death. It is a marvellous read, absorbing and fascinating. Published on 25 June.
Also on bookshelves everywhere
The Akeing Heart, the story of the thwarted love affairs between Sylvia Townsend Warner, Valentine Ackland and Elizabeth Wade White, which surely must be the literary love letters of the year, is causing much interest. You’ll find it in your local bookshop, and you can also buy it here.
Diva Magazine published a glowing review of The Akeing Heart on 23 April 2018: ‘Peter Haring Judd has curated the most thrilling, romantic and heartbreaking accounts of a major 20th century literary love story. Covering the period of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, in 1930s New York and Connecticut and in 1950s Dorset, this is an intense and beautifully written exploration of two decades in the lives of four women.’
As seen in the media
This review of the Handheld cover designs is full of praise, and we are blushing.
Scottish Field ran a nice piece on us, which trails Kingdoms of Elfin: with treats to come in October!
Have a Handheld Press Book Party!
If you live in or near Bath & Bristol, and have a hankering for a party for your friends and neighbours, have a Handheld Press Book Party! We will entertain you and your guests for up to an hour with stories about the books that we publish, some readings from the best bits (suited to your interests), and then you can browse and buy at discounted prices. Interested? Please email us to talk about it. It’s a free service, and makes a great book-minded party.
Accessibility
We’re reviewing the accessibility of our books: see Terms and Conditions for more information.
Use Visa with PayPal to shop!
You can buy our books directly from this site using PayPal, and that includes credit cards too. When ordered directly from this site, each book comes with its own special bookmark.
All our books are available as printed books, and as ebooks. Click on the book cover images to go straight to their ordering page, or use the menu at the side.
The books we publish
We’ve organised the Handheld Press into three lists.
Handheld Classics are reprints of excellent forgotten fiction, novels and stories that deserve a second life. Each Classic has an introduction written by a expert in plain English, and extremely useful notes on the text.
Handheld Research tells stories that come out of research passions. Scholars and enthusiasts spend years working on their special subjects to create remarkable, handcrafted stories for you to read.
Handheld Modern books are modern stories about the present and the future. Science fiction, letters, even historical fiction, and visions of the future.
Each of the Handheld books is a marvellous story: we guarantee it. Explore the lists — Classics, Research and Modern — or use the search button for the name you’re looking for. Choose one for yourself and one for a friend. Choose more than one, go on.
Want to talk to us about publishing your story? Please go to the Authors page, and tell us about your project.
Gift wrapping
We also offer gift wrapping and despatch so you can send presents directly: please look at our Ordering and Delivery page for details.
Book group services
We are delighted to be able to offer a 10% discount and bulk delivery for book groups: email us with the number of books you’d like to order, and where to send them, and we’ll let you know the total price, including the 10% discount on the cover price of the books. You send us the money by PayPal, we trot down to the post office with your box. Easy!
Kate Macdonald
Director and energy source for the Handheld Press
