130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 | Visit our Auckland bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

This Slavery

By Sophie Rickard and Ethel Carnie Holdsworth
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
When the Lancashire cotton-mill that employs them burns to the ground, sisters Rachel and Hester Martin are each forced to find their own way to survive in the harsh realities of pre-war industrial Britain. The contrasting paths they take in their quest for domestic autonomy form... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4499
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Adapted from a novel by the radical feminist poet and author Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, this compelling, multi-layered, and sumptuously designed dramatic romance plays out against the starkly observed realities of what it was to grow up female in pre-war industrial Britain.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
When the Lancashire cotton-mill that employs them burns to the ground, sisters Rachel and Hester Martin are each forced to find their own way to survive in the harsh realities of pre-war industrial Britain. The contrasting paths they take in their quest for domestic autonomy form a subtly strident allegory of the all but insurmountable barriers of class and gender that then enslaved half the population. Part compelling narrative epic, part fiery Marxist-feminist polemic, this faithful, sumptuous, and revelatory adaptation by the award-winning Rickard Sisters reclaims a lost classic by holding it up as a mirror to our own hard times, and as a gloriously flaming beacon to future communities to offer strength, hope, and dignity.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781914224355

Publisher: SelfMadeHero

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: SelfMadeHero

Illustration: Full Colour Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Scarlett Rickard

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 360

Collections

Adult Graphic Novels Ethel Carnie Holdsworth Fiction Graphic Novels Sophie Rickard

About the Author

Ethel Carnie Holdsworth (1886–1962), a writer, feminist and activist from Lancashire, was the first working-class woman to have a novel published in Britain. She had at least ten novels published and wrote ‘This Slavery’ in 1925. The Rickard Sisters are graphic novelists from the same Lancashire cotton-country as Ethel Holdsworth, and have collaborated on adapting a series of early 20th-century political novels in their own lavish trademark style including ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ and ‘No Surrender’. Scarlett is the artist and Sophie is the writer, and despite living 200 miles apart, they work closely together to perfect the development of these rich, vibrant, and inspirational books.

Also by Sophie Rickard

View all
  • The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
    Robert Tressell's groundbreaking socialist novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists tells the story of a group of working men in the fictional town of Mugsborough, and socialist journeyman-prophet Frank Owen who attempts to convince his fellow workers that capitalism is the real source of the poverty all around them. Owen's spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system,...
    By Sophie Rickard
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Graphic Novels

View all
  • Heartstopper Volume 6
    Read it before you see it: Heartstopper Forever movie coming soon from Netflix Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The final installment in the bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel series about life, love, and everything that happens in between. Everyone in school knows Nick and Charlie. Everyone knows they're going to be togetherforever. But Charlie's busy with...
    By Alice Oseman
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin #1
    An instant New York Times bestseller! With more than 40 million copies sold, Erin Hunter's Warriors series has taken the world by storm and is now available in a full-colour graphic novel adaptation. The first book covers the first two original novels in The Prophecies Begin: Into the Wild and Fire and Ice. A perfect introduction to the world of...
    By Erin Hunter
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Demon Slayer Complete Box Set
    Contains Volumes 1-23. Full colour. Double-sided Poster and Commemorative Mini-Book. Tanjiro embarks on the perilous path of a Demon Slayer, driven by a mission to save his sister and seek justice for his slain family! In the backdrop of Taisho-era Japan, we meet the compassionate Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who makes a humble living by selling charcoal. However, his tranquil...
    By Koyoharu Gotouge
    Paperback
    $29500
    Elsewhere:
    $41000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat
    In this hilarious full-colour graphic novel, Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen, readers are introduced to Cat Town's best kitten detective on a new and exciting adventure. When Detective Beans realises his favourite hat has gone missing, he quickly jumps into action to crack the case. Armed with his wit, determination, and a love...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2200
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 1
    Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 1
    This deluxe, keepsake-quality hardcover edition includes three volumes of the acclaimed fantasy manga on which the enchanting anime was based. Experience the beautiful tale of a young witch who discovers her creativity and faces down a dangerous and thrilling world with her friends by her side in these extra-large books, printed on premium paper with intricate gold foil covers and...
    By Kamome Shirahama
    Hardback
    $9999
    Elsewhere:
    $10500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lightfall: A Place Between
    In the fourth installment of the award-winning, critically acclaimed Lightfall series, Bea, Cad, and their friends continue their quest to restore light on their dark world. Perfect for fans of Amulet and Avatar, this next book dives deeper into the magical world of Irpa, where ancient secrets and adventures abound.After surviving a shipwreck on the Fuerre Sea, Cad washes ashore on...
    By Tim Probert
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 28
    To gain the power he needs to save his friend from a cursed spirit, Yuji Itadori swallows a piece of a demon, only to find himself caught in the midst of a horrific war of the supernatural! In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and...
    By Gege Akutami
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2099
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Wings of Fire the Graphic Novel - The First Seven Books
    Not every dragonet wants a destiny . . . Clay has grown up under the mountain, chosen along with four other dragonets to fulfill a mysterious prophecy and end the war between the dragon tribes of Pyrrhia. He's not so sure about the prophecy part, but Clay can't imagine not living with the other dragonets; they're his best friends. So...
    By Tui T. Sutherland
    Paperback
    $9000
    Elsewhere:
    $11000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live
    From the New York Times bestselling author and creator of the hit MrBallen Podcast and YouTube channel comes a vividly illustrated graphic novel featuring nine spine-chilling stories, based on real events, of the horror that lurks within the unknown. In MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live, John Allen, known popularly as MrBallen, returns with another heart-stopping collection of strange and mysterious...
    By Robert Venditti and MrBallen
    Hardback
    $4400
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 2
    New Release
    Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 2
    Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 2 is a deluxe, keepsake-quality hardcover edition that includes three volumes of the acclaimed fantasy manga on which the enchanting anime was based. Experience the beautiful tale of a young witch who discovers her creativity and faces a dangerous and thrilling world with her friends by her side in these extra-large books, printed on premium...
    By Kamome Shirahama
    Hardback
    $10600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Chainsaw Man Box Set
    Chainsaw Man Box Set
    Broke young man + chainsaw demon = Chainsaw Man! Denji was a small-time devil hunter just trying to survive in a harsh world. After being killed on a job, he is revived by his pet devil Pochita and becomes something new and dangerous—Chainsaw Man! The rip-roaring first arc of Chainsaw Man, all in one jaw-dropping box set! This box set...
    By Tatsuki Fujimoto
    Paperback
    $17000
    Elsewhere:
    $19500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1
    One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1 by Eiichiro Oda invites readers on an exhilarating journey across the vast and treacherous oceans. Follow the ambitious young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, and his eclectic crew as they embark on an epic quest to uncover the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, a prize that will crown its possessor as the King...
    By Eiichiro Oda
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2899
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Graphic Novels lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all