The Yellow Wallpaper & Herland (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)

Two groundbreaking stories that showcase Charlotte Perkins Gilman's progressive views on feminism and mental health. In The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman skilfully charts one woman's struggle with depression, based on the author's own experiences. Confined to her attic bedroom and isolated from her newborn baby, the nameless narrator keeps a secret diary in which she records the sprawling and shifting patterns of the room's lurid yellow wallpaper as she slowly sinks into madness. Herland offers an entertaining imagining of an all-female utopia; when a trio of men set out to discover this community rumoured to be hidden deep in the jungle, they're surprised to find women who have lived in a peaceful and prosperous society without men for two thousand years.

Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers, this edition makes a perfect gift or a treat for any book lover. With an insightful introduction by journalist and author Lucy Mangan.