Product Description
Finally! Here is the twelfth, and final, book in Arthur Ransome's acclaimed Swallows and Amazons series. People familiar with his earlier work will recognize the pattern: children set out on an adventure (this one off the coast of Scotland) with a minimum of parental advice and interference. Here, the story centers on a desperate race to thwart the efforts of pernicious egg collectors threatening the survival of a pair of rare birds not previously known to nest in British waters (actually, the bird is the handsome North American "Great Northern Diver," more commonly called a loon). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb
This book from the 1930s or 40s starts with a group of kids sailing in the Hebrides with Uncle Jim -- the uncle of two of them -- at the end of their cruise. They stop to spend a day taking care of the borrowed boat -- cleaning the bottom and putting on a new coat of bottom paint -- and while the older ones are doing this, the younger ones explore. One of them goes birdwatching, and sees something unusual.

Sounds pretty dull, right? Wrong. Like all the Ransome (non-fantasy) books, the bad-guy in this book -- an egg-collector -- is completely plausible AND horrible. The multiple story lines are all intriguing. The respect for decent behavior (cleaning the bottom of someone else's boat? Making sure to bury a bit of waxed paper from your sandwich...in 1935??? Respecting property ... not disturbing wildlife ... Passing behind a sailboat when you're in a faster motorboat...) isn't drilled in with a ham-handed holier-than-thou-ness; it's just part of what you get when you read the book. You also get a terrific adventure, a fingernail-biting crisis and denoument (remember when denoument was part of a good story?), humor, character, and a feeling of the Hebrides that you just don't forget.

If your kids don't like this book, keep the book and throw the kids in the trash. ... Read more

Product Description
The original cast of the famed Swallows and Amazons series is sailing under the stars and the command of Captain Flint in the South China Sea when Gibbet, their pet monkey, grabs the captain's cigar and drops it in the fuel tank. In minutes, the ship is ablaze (and doomed), and our seven luckless protagonists are adrift in two small boats. They make their way to land, only to find themselves the captives of one of the last remaining pirates operating off the China Coast. But Missee Lee, as it turns out, is no ordinary pirate; her father had sent her off to Cambridge University to prepare her for a life as a teacher. But when her father takes ill and dies, she finds herself struggling to hold together the Three Island Confederation (Tiger, Turtle, and Dragon) he had created, and to be recognized as his legitimate heir and ruler of the Island Kingdom.



Ransome is, as always, the consummate storyteller. Here he takes the reader not only on the usual sailing adventures and cliff-hanging escapades, but also into Chinese culture. (It's no accident that, like so many of Ransome's protagonists, Missee Lee is a woman, or that her Latin is almost as refined as her sailing skills.) It is also no wonder that The Observer called this, the tenth book in the series, "his best yet . . . a book to buy, to read, and to read again, not once but many times." The Guardian put it "in a class by itself." For Ransome, unlike so many writers of his and our generation, was particular in writing about things he knew and had studied first-hand, whether it was a foreign culture, a classical language, a cryptographic code, or the finer points of seamanship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Dated but fun
MISSEE LEE is subtitled "A sequel to PETER DUCK" which should be a tipoff; this is another "fantasy" entry into the S&A series.As such, it has more exotic locations and real danger than the other books.

While cruising around the world with Uncle Jim, the Walker and Blackett children are thrown into serious danger when their sailboat burns and sinks, and then the two lifeboats are separated, while in the South China Seas.Eventually all are captured by Chinese pirates, who are lorded over by the title character, a young Cambridge-educated Chinese woman.

She's one of the most interesting characters in the series, a person with strong yearnings for Western culture and a Western way of life (her real ambition was to be a teacher), but also with a stronger sense of duty to her Chinese father's legacy of controlling the pirates on the three islands.The Blacketts are overjoyed to be in the hands of real pirates although Jim seems to be the only one cognizant to the fact that they could all lose their heads.

In fact, Missee Lee decides to have it both ways, keeping her English "guests" and starting her own Cambridge-style classes in Latin, while still maintaining her hold on the pirates.But things get messy (especially when she discovers the Walkers' father is a naval officer) and eventually Uncle Jim and the children engineer an escape.

It's quite dated in its view of the Chinese, although better than most of the period (that tended to think of the Chinese as all evil, period, end of sentence), and some of the Chinese characters are given some good dimension, including one of the pirates who's quite ruthless and violent but also has a soft spot for birds.

The typical S&A themes of courage, resourcefulness and self-reliance run through this book is more fantastic than the others in the series.Still, as all the S&A series, it's good fun.

Next:The D's return in PICTS AND MARTYRS.

Lovely, albeit dated, book
I love the whole Swallows and Amazons series, but somehow I read Missee Lee only once -- perhaps it got lost from the library or something. So I had the pleasure of rediscovering it a few years ago when my kids were the right age for it. It's a wonderful "reading aloud" book (as are "We didn't mean to go to sea" and "Great Northern"), with a strong female character -- unusual in children's books from 65 years ago! -- and terrific storytelling and pacing.

(Some of) the Chinese in this book come off as crafty, selfish, barbaric, etc. That's quite intentional -- their characters are supposed to be crafty, selfish, or barbaric. Because we see them only through the eyes of the English, they tend to be a bit one-dimensional as well. Probably some people out there is saying that this book is politically incorrect; if so, I urge them to tell their children not to read it. (The children will, of course, promptly read it!)

In the meantime, enjoy this with your family.

Twenty-two gong tale belong velly well all ages bimeby
Subtitled "Swallows and Amazons in the South China Seas", this tenth volume in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series is actually a sequel to the second, "Peter Duck". Those readers familiar with the background to the earlier volume will not be surprised to learn that the emphasis within this book is on rather wild and exotic high-seas adventuring for a group of six English school children, together with their middle-aged uncle, a parrot and a mischievous monkey, aboard their schooner, Wild Cat.

This time around, the crew of the Wild Cat (without Peter Duck) again find themselves face to face with pirates, although under somewhat different circumstances and of a rather different kind from those in their earlier adventure. They also face a fate that English schoolchildren probably once considered worse than death - a life of perpetual Latin lessons!

Anyone coming to this book without the benefit of at least the first three volumes of the series ("Swallows and Amazons", "Peter Duck" and "Swallowdale") may struggle a little with just who people are and why things are the way they are, so I don't recommend diving straight into the series here! If you've read the first three books, though, there is absolutely no need to leave this one until its place in the published sequence, as it does not tie into any of the intervening volumes. Anyone familiar with the earlier books will know exactly what to expect here; nor will they be disappointed. Whilst aimed at children, the book remains a delightful read whatever one's age.

A must have for the series collector
If you collect the Swallows and Amazons series, you simply must have this book in your collection.If, on the other hand, you are just someone looking for a good book, well...this is a GREAT book.It is a classic that both children and adults will love and enjoy many times over.
Arthur Ransome is one of the greatest authors ever to live, and his books reflect that fact. ... Read more

Product Description
The first title in Arthur Ransome's classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Adventure and charm!
The Swallows return to their favorite lake a year later, but things have changed slightly...the Amazons are dealing with a visit from a tyrannical great-aunt and can't go sailing with them!While sailing about on their own, the Swallows' boat experiences a wreck and their sailing adventures on the lake are in danger.

This book continues the adventures of the brave kids we first met in SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, only they're a year older and a little nervier.The books' descriptions of camping and exploring are fun, fun, fun; I remember doing similar things as a child.The story also gives some good lessons to kids, although not in a preachy fashion...we see the importance of being calm in a crisis, and how an otherwise bad situation can be turned into a positive experience.Also, the boat-race scene at the end has a great scene of good sportsmanship, as the losers enthusiastically and sincerely congratulate the winners and compliment them on their sailing.And, as present in SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, there is the element of using one's imagination.

The mountain-climbing scenes are good, with an unexpectedly poignant moment at the summit.The lost-in-the-fog scenes are actually quite atmospheric and memorable.

The book's main problem is that it is rather dated, but for some readers, that's part of the charm.The great-aunt's insistance on Victorian-era manners may not click too much with modern readers, although they'll probably be able to think of their elders who they see as being too old-fashioned.The book takes place in a circa 1930 England, when charcoal-burners and horse-drawn wagons were still commonplace in rural areas; some might find the setting too alien, while others may become absorbed into it.

Despite those few flaws, this is still a 5-star book in my view.Great for parents and children, and a great inspiration for outdoor adventures.

Note:This book makes references to an imaginary character, "Peter Duck," who was the subject of a sort of collective fairy tale that the group made up over the winter holiday.That story is told in the next book in the series, PETER DUCK.

Peril and adventure on the Lakes
One year after the events of "Swallows and Amazons," the four Walkers return to the Lake to spend the summer holidays, looking forward to more thrilling adventures with the Blackett sisters and their uncle, Captain Flint.To their dismay, they discover that the Blacketts' Great-Aunt--a strait-laced and somewhat tyrannical person who brought their mother and uncle up--is staying at Beckfoot and badly cramping the two pirates' style.And then the Walkers' boat "Swallow" is wrecked on the far side of the lake, forcing them to find a new camp.In dealing with these challenges the six show their mettle once again--and even manage to get away for an overnight climb of Kanchenjunga, as they christen the tallest of the nearby hills.Along the way Roger and Titty get lost when a sea-fog rolls in over the moors, and the outwitting of Great-Aunt Maria furnishes a fair share of suspense.Once again Ransome tells his tale without talking down, seeming to assume a child's viewpoint with an ease matched by few writers.Another excellent family read-aloud that should be owned by every household even if they don't care for boats or camping.

An Outstanding Adventure story for any age!
Small boat or dinghy sailing, camping out, excitement, nice people and strong writing: what more could a reader ask for?I first read this book at the home of a boyhood friend about ten years after it was originally published, and I count the series (this is the second of 12) as responsible for my lifelong interest in camping and sailing.More than half a century later, I acquired a set and found to my absolute delight that they read as well and are as powerfully satisfying as ever.

Here, within the covers of a very well-written book, you'll find a group of charming children and a few adults, spanning a wide range of ages and character types.Swallowdale is by turns funny,thoughtful, insightful and so well written it is a distinct pleasure for readers of any age.

Did I mention the writing? It's better written than most current novels.

More an equal than a sequel!
"Swallowdale" continues very much where its predecessor, "Swallows and Amazons", leaves off, with the Walker children returning to "that remote lake in the north of England" one year after the events of the first book and looking forward to another couple of weeks of fun, sailing with their friends, the Amazon pirates. Plans quickly begin to go awry, however, and Ransome turns events away from the anticipated activity of sailing on the lake to an altogether different sort of fun, as the children take off camping and exploring in the surrounding fells and mountains.

The book has all of the fine qualities that make its predecessor such an excellent read for children (and adults) of all ages. Ransome's prose is a delight throughout, his characters engaging and the events that befall the children entirely believable. As in all of the other books of this series, simple pen and ink drawings by the author add considerably to the enjoyment. If only the world (and the Lake District!) was still like this!

Incidentally, although this was the second of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazon" books to be published, it is best read after the third volume, "Peter Duck", because it is set chronologically after the events of that book, and makes occasional back reference to it. You will enjoy "Peter Duck" much more if you read it BEFORE you read "Swallowdale". And if you enjoyed "Swallows and Amazons" you will certainly enjoy this.

We were enthralled
This was the second book in the series that we read. After the first I did not think it could get better, but I was wrong. We were shocked when their boat sunk, but they seemed to do as well on land as they did on water. Mykids will do their chores and finish their homework as long as I read thisto them each evening. To me that is quite impressive. Now we are readingPeter Duck... ... Read more

Product Description
Jibbooms and bobstays! Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She's also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (aka G. A.) hears of their abandonment, she's horrified and off on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined but now they'll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd's cottage (where they'll be forced to live off the land like savages, ergo "The Picts") while they'll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the pianoforte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo "The Martyrs"). Not much stretch here; no one dares trifle with the G.A.



As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable maiden aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say she's sorry.



This is the eleventh title in a beloved series that have endeared themselves to three generations of readers, books as credible today as when Ransome penned them on the shores of his beloved Lake District in the 1930s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A jaunty and amusing tale
This story gives us the D's and the Amazons together in their own tale.





Dick and Dot Callum have come to the Blackett home, to stay with their friends Nancy and Peggy, aka the Amazons.Things are a little odd; Mrs. Blackett is away on a Scandinavian cruise (recovering from a bad bout of the flu) and her brother Jim (nicknamed "Captain Flint" by the kids) is with her.The children are to be watched over by the household servants and Jim's friend and business partner Timothy (surely not a situation to be condoned today!).But the Blackett's great-aunt, whom series fans will remember from previous volumes, gets wind of the mother's absence and is quickly on her way to oversee things.





This is simply unacceptable!The children look for a solution, and finally find one worthy of an "I Love Lucy" episode:until the Great-Aunt leaves and Mrs. Blackett returns, the D's will hide out in a nearby abandoned hut, still in good shape, and the Amazons will have to act like proper little ladies until Mother returns.





Quite a bit is spent on the D's learning to cope for themselves, with the help of a local farm boy.The D's are more intellectual than physical (Dick is an analytical naturalist, Dot is a dreamy would-be novelist), but they quickly learn to deal with life in the wild.But when they have to get some of Jim's chemical equipment from the house, and then the Great-Aunt disappears, things start getting out of hand....





This is an amusing tale, perhaps one of the more comic of the series.This one brings back the infamous Great-Aunt, an ogre of previous novels, but this time Ransome treats her with more depth and compassion.Instead of simply being an ill-tempered fussy brute, we see her as a woman shaped by her times and circumstances, trying to do what she thinks is right and do well by her family.As a reader, I certainly can't blame her for wanting to be sure the children were propery watched over, although I could emphasize with the kids' desire to have their usual freedom back.





As always, all ends well, and the reader is left with a sense of a growing understanding between the Great-Aunt and the Amazons, and some mutual respect.





As always, the feel of rural England in the 30s is part of the fun of the novel, and the adventures of the D's as they grow in self-confidence and self-reliance, handling their own boat and cooking their own meals.





Coming up next:A last hurrah for the gang in GREAT NORTHERN?

Possibly my favorite of the series
When Dick and Dot arrive in the lake country they are expecting a pleasant visit with friends while learning how to sail their very own boat.But things never work out as planned, especially when Nancy has a hand in things -- first thing anyone knows she has Dick and Dot living in hiding from "the Great Aunt" and everybody else reluctantly in on the secret that must not be found out.

This is a charming book telling of a simpler time, yet it manages to be adventurous and exciting, too.Perfect for all ages, even my 4 year old enjoys listening to these novels.

Perhaps my favorite in the series
It's hard to pick a favorite -- all the Swallows and Amazon books are good, and I'm sure everybody has their own favorite -- but I particularly like the character of the Great Aunt in this book. She is so...PROPER and so...INTIMIDATING, and the interactions the other characters have with her make for a good story. There is plenty of intrigue, plenty of almost-crisis, plenty of devious scheming by Nancy & crew to subvert the tyranny of the Great Aunt so they can achieve their own goals. ... Read more

Product Description
The first title in Arthur Ransome's classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

Reading aloud
The Swallows and Amazons series was one of my favorites when I was a child.The story, set in the Lake District of England where Wordsworth and other great poets grew up, is a gentle adventure tale about children camping out on an island and rigging a little sailboat.It is slower paced than children are used to today.But I think a sensitive boy or girlwould find it reassuring that the children solve their own problems of navigation etc.

While it didn't bother me as a child that the language was distinctly British, as I'd been prepared by the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Wind in the Willows, Iwould recommend Swallows and Amazons as a bedtime story to be read aloud by an adult reader.The reader could then explain the language.A map of the UK would help too, as the story is set in the Lake District.

An adult storyteller might be interested in a biography of the series author, Arthur Ransome, who led an adventurous life - including work in the Soviet Union and marriage to a Russian woman.

A book for all young people.
This wonderful book was written about 75 years ago, but is still extremely popular today. It is ageless. I first read it as a nine or ten year old and have read it several times since then. The last time I read it I was in my late 50s or early 60s. Every young person should enjoy it immensely as a fictional story. But there are many moral and ethical issues that are slyly inserted into this novel. The biography of the author and how he came to write this book, which was the first in a series of 9 or 10 novels, is a fascinating story in itself.

Enchanting and Realistic
Enchanting
It's hard to explain what makes this book so charming: The writing, the way the children and their relationships with each other are shown so clearly and believably, the very real adventures they have, the sense of place....but listing those traits doesn't do the book justice. It's also really funny in places! Ransome creates a world that is clearer and lighter and more enchanting than the one most of us live in -- but he's also written a realistic book. The Lake District DOES look the way he describes it, and there could be children like the Swallows and their friends the Amazon pirates.

The books are for all ages, and I think they are also inspiring and a good influence! They make me want to have adventures -- and they encourage parents by example to let their children have them. The parents in the books are responsible, teach their children well -- and allow them to adventure on their own. They can do that because they've taught the children to have good judgment and be responsible.

Arthur Ransome's own favorite in the series was WINTER HOLIDAY, which I also loved. Once the original characters leave the series, it loses its interest (for me, anyway) -- children who enjoyed the first books will also probably likeBlow Out the Moon by Libby Koponen and all the E.Nesbit books.

A Treasure of My Childhood I Want My Grandchild to Read
About 60 years ago I read as many books from this series that I could find in my local public library. I had passed through a phase of devouring the Dr. Doolittle fantasy series (so damaged by the motion pictures using that title - how could they cast tall lanky Rex Harrison in the role of a short cuddly grandfather-like figure?) Another series in which, as an American boy fascinated by warplanes during the Worl War II era - I went on to become an aerospace engineer - I was enthralled, was "A Yank in the RAF", which I don't think would translate to the 21st Century very well. But the series that made the most impact on me was Ransome's Swallow family.As with Hugh Lofting's Doolittle, the author's drawings enhanced the books.

I have not visited there yet but I plan on touring Britain's Lake District (I don't think I was cognizant of where the tales took place, except I knew the children were British.They liked to drink ginger beer; in the US we had a ginger ale drink, but not ginger beer and I was curious to have some.)I have long wanted to live somewhere that would allow me to experience the thrill of mastering the small sailing boats of the story.The closest I came was living near the Pacific in California and near the Potomac River.But the boats in those regions were larger and not terribly accessible.I did go sailing with friends and tried to sail on my own in a marina with a rented boat (a too narrow and crowdedvenue for a novice just learning to tack and unfamiliar with how to dump wind from the sail when being carried in the wrong direction.) I have gotten to taste ginger beer.I have also used the children's means of including coded messages in their letters in the form of dancing stick figures around the page's margin (the secret was to ignore other parts of the figures and concentrate on the positions of the arms, which were standard semaphore code.) I introduced the code to one of my daughters when we were in the "Indian Princesses" organization.(Is the name and programs of that organization offensive to American Indians?I'm sure its founders weren't sensitive to the fact that American Indians still existed.)

I will introduce this series to my precocius 6 year old grand daughter when I think she is ready.

ages 4 to 8?
A reading level of ages four to eight?I vigorously question that.Perhaps grades four to eight.The vocabulary, as is the case with many older books, is quite sophisticated. That said, this book is a treasure. ... Read more

Product Description
The third book in Arthur Ransome's wonderful series for children, Peter Duck takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett onto the high seas. Under the command of the infamous Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy's Uncle Jim), the children brave a real-life pirate and his cutthroat crew, fogy, sharks, and the ravenous crabs of Crab Island in the search of buried treasure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Peter Duck
This perfectly written pirate adventure storyranks favorably with Treasure Island.As a sea tale, the detail and description of the voyage of the schooner"Wild Cat" from Lowestoft, on England's East Coast, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean could stand alone without the added excitement of a ripping good pirate story populated with well developed and believable characters,

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike!!!
This is supposed to be "just a children's book", but I was about 30 when I first read this book, and I tell you... it was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME and WILDLY EXCITING to me!The author is really good at writing this series about the exciting outdoor adventures of the Walker and Blackett children, and this is one of his most intensely thrilling tales.His vivid descriptions of the various scenes are extremely good, and the unexpected and clever plot twists are very satisfying and enjoyable.Highly recommended!

Good fun
This book is actually a fantasy within the context of the series.In the previous book, SWALLOWDALE, we encounter Peter Duck as a fictional character and how he was the star of a story made up by the children and Captain Flint during a winter stay in a boat.

That aside, this is good adventure.The children assemble for a summer holiday sailing in the English Channel, and are joined by a crusty old seaman who's being pursued by some criminals, who know that he knows where a treasure is buried in the Caribbean.After some misadventures, the crew sets off across the Atlantic, along the way picking up a small boy who was part of the criminal's crew.

In the Caribbean, they encounter some eerie crabs and some harrowing scenes that are the aftermath of a volcanic explosion at some distance.The treasure is found and the villains are dispatched in a rather overly convenient deus ex machina ending that I rather disliked; it's the only reason I chopped a star off this otherwise grand entertainment.

This book has the usual S&A series messages about the joys of adventure and of being outdoors, and the importance of courage and self-reliance as well as teamwork.Next in the series:WINTER HOLIDAY.

One of the best stories in the series
I remember reading Peter Duck as a child and being a little disappointed. As a child the adventures of the Swallows & Amazons was best when they were as far away from adults as possible. Battling Uncle Jim / Captain Flint for his houseboat was one thing - going on a sea voyage with him in charge was quite another.

Re-reading the series as an adult, however, I see this in a whole new perspective. Simply put the actual story, and the story-telling, racks amongst the highest in the series. The scope of the book, running from the mouth of the broads which we come to love later in the series, right down to Crab Island in the Caribbean is wonderful. The intrigue and adventure is at a higher level to match too.

Arthur Ransome is one of the story tellers who believes in dealing with "bad people" head on - and in this tale, Black Jake and his crew are really some of the most despicable characters in children's literature. We always hope they will meet a sticky end. However, the writing is a little out of date now in terms of some derogatory words used for black people and Spaniards. I believe such language can be used as an important educational tool to explain why we no longer use these words (it should be noted that it is the rough characters that use these terms).

The book never comments on this as being "fictional". Of course they are all fictional tales, but this is fiction within fiction because we find out in other books that this was a tale made up by everyone. However, it is still written very realisitically and anyone with a love for sailing will find the chapters about the setup of the boat or the sailing down the North Sea and the English Channel wonderful.

Peter Duck
It's the best book i've ever read! Everyone must read it! ... Read more

Product Description
The fourth book in Arthur Ransome's classic series for children, Winter Holiday takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker, and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett to the North Pole. Joined by budding novelist Dorethes Callum and her scientist brother Dick, the children plan an "Arctic" expedition. But unforseen events seperate the travelers and disaster nearly strikes in the exciting climax of their race to the Pole. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A winter holiday in the English Lake District in the 1930's
Beautifully written children's adventure set in the English Lake District in the 1930's. The same cast of characters as Swallows and Amazons and Swallowdale but with the addition of two new characters - Dorothy and Dick Callum, who also appear later in the series in The Big Six, Coot Club, the Picts and the Martyrs and Great Northern. All about an extended winter holiday on and around the lake as it slowly freezes over. Ice skating, sledging, exploring, rescuing crag-fast sheep, the adventures come one after the other. As well-written as all Arthur Ransome's childrens books were, and an enjoyable time-warped look at what life for the english middle class was like in the 30's in Britain. I grew up reading these books and find them just as enjoyable now as I did when I was 10 years old.

Worth the time
Our family has enjoyed the Swallows & Amazon series more than I initially expected.Each book has taken a few chapters to pull us in and we take it slowly; these are worth your time.The children in the stories are what my kids want to be like: independent and capable, fun loving and creative. The plots and themes are simple and interesting. I recommend the whole series for reading aloud and encourage readers to not drop them if they are not as fast paced as other stories.

Adventure knows no season...
Coming on the tails of a full-throttle fantasy in PETER DUCK, Ransome comes back down to earth in WINTER HOLIDAY.It's January at the old lake, and now we're seeing things from the viewpoint of Dick and Dorothea Callum, the children of two archaeologists who are digging in Egypt and sent their children to spend their winter holiday with a family friend.The D's, as they become known, are different from the rough-and-ready Swallows and Amazons; Dorothea is a dreamy sort, an aspiring novelist, and Dick is an intellectual, an amateur naturalist and astronomer.

Of course, they meet up with the Swallows and Amazons, quickly making friends and providing their worth to the group with their quick wit and superior ice-skating(!).The group is mourning that soon their holidays will be over when Nancy comes down with the mumps, meaning that the group can't go back to school for another month until they're sure they won't pass the infection to others.Then a huge freeze descends, blanketing the land in snow and freezing the lake.

The story is full of delightful exploring in the snow, something I remember myself from my own childhood.The crew build an igloo, rescue a stranded sheep, and learn field communication techniques (actual practical knowledge there).The D's encounter actual physical danger when they set off for the northern end of the lake after a miscommunication, and end up caught in a blizzard, but all ends well and their place in the group is firmly established when the rest are impressed with their courage and grit.

Again, another delightful adventure from Ransome, something great for kids and parents alike.A good guide for cold-weather adventure, and also a nice antidote to summer heat.Kids will learn the aforementioned field communication bit, but other messages include the importance of good deeds (in rescuing the sheep and also the kids' determination to rescue the D's when they're feared lost), as well as common themes of courage, capability, and that everyone has something to contribute.

Next in the series:The D's take center stage in COOT CLUB.

Proving that fun isn't limited to summer
It's been a year and a half since the Walkers (the Swallows) first met the Blackett sisters (the Amazons) and were plunged into Captain Nancy's adventurous worldview (not that they didn't have one of their own already).Now, for the first time, we see the six from an outside view--though still that of young people: Dick Callum, astronomy buff, and his sister Dorothea ("Dot"), aspiring novelist, are staying at the lake while their parents are off digging in Egypt over the Christmas holidays, and are caught up in the adventures of the senior group when they attempt to "signal to Mars" by night.The Walkers and Blacketts, inspired by the coldest winter the lake has experienced in living memory, are training for an expedition to the North Pole (the far upper end of the lake), "only the beastly Arctic won't freeze."Quite unexpectedly Captain Nancy saves the day by coming down with mumps, which requires all the others to be kept out of school for a month lest they spread the contagion.The Blacketts' uncle Captain Flint reappears too, playing a pivotal role in the expedition's preparations.Much of the story is told from the viewpoint of the ever-imaginitive Dorothea, whose writer's mind puts a unique spin on what she sees.As always there are misunderstandings with the "natives" (local adults, rechristened Eskimos for purposes of the season), and a literally chilling sequence during which the Callums are blown to the Pole by a sudden blizzard.Ransome here proves that it doesn't have to be summer for his Lake Country to provide plenty of good story fodder, and in the process gives us a unique children's adventure tale that should be as eagerly welcomed as a read-aloud as any of the others in the series.Not to be missed.

exciting adventure
There I was just browsing at a store, and just happened to glance at this particular color of this book...and picked it up read the cover and fell in to the illustration, and the breif excerpts on the back cover... I am just so excited over the wanting and longing to snuggle up with my children and read this to them, but not to them...really,but to read for myself...this is going to be a start of something big... I also went researching for Mr.Arthur Ransomes books, and found web sites leading to history and all the good things that come with a curious mind, that wants to discover...where did all those adorable children who seem to live in a perfect world, live, whom were pictured on the cover of "Winter Holiday"... This is a"National Geographic" for children of all ages... I cannot wait for a more perfect day to begin reading this, as the house doesn't have to be clean, nor the dishes washed, maybe this is the perfect front porch with lemonade, book... Best regards on your adventure through "Winter Holiday" ... Read more

Product Description
The crew's on holiday, and they turn their energies to mining for gold, aided by pigeon messengers Homer, Sophocles, and Sappho. The adventurers comb the nearby hills for a fabled lost claim, while being shadowed by a mysterious figure they dub "squashy hat." Undeterred by drought, sudden brushfires, and the continuing presence of Squashy Hat, the young prospectors persevere in their quest - with surprising results. Full of the dangers and dark adventures of old mines and forgotten claims, Pigeon Post has an irresistible appeal to the persistent explorer in every child.


"There is plenty of excitement, a little danger, a quality of thinking, planning and fun in connection with a gold-mine. The ingenuity of this group of children is delightful and stimulating."
The Times Literary Supplement ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

More fun and adventure
The summer after the snowy adventures in WINTER HOLIDAY and the D's learning to sail in COOT CLUB, the three sets of children (the Swallows, the Amazons, and the D's) converge on the lake again for their vacation.(By the chronology of the series, it's summer of 1932.)

However, there's complications.Only one boat, so they can't all sail.Camping is difficult because Mrs. Blackett is distracted with redecorating, and also because it's an especially dry summer there and the locals are paranoid of fires.

Making the best of it, they hear rumors of gold in them thar hills from a local miner, and decide to prospect themselves while Uncle Jim is on his way back from a failed mining expedition in South America.They soon find a lanky stranger, dubbed "Squashy Hat," seems to be prospecting himself, and they view him as a dangerous competitor.

The kids face all sorts of challenges, from camping near a farm whose owner won't let them cook for themselves and insists they sleep near the house....to dealing with the pigeons of the title that keep them in touch with the Amazon's mum....to finding the possible gold mine....to very real dangers, including a cave-in in an abandoned mine to a runaway brush fire.

All the usual delights of the S&A series are here...the joys of camping and exploring, added to the information about pigeons (and Dick's invention of an alarm) and information about prospecting and mining (which few kids are likely to try today, but you never know if there's a junior metallurgist lurking in your brood).Also some environmental content in the snarky view of tourists who carelessly start a fire that nearly kills the heroes.

Good fun, might inspire your younguns.Heck, it's inspired this adult to investigate a gold mine said to be nearby....

Next in the series:WE DIDN'T MEAN TO GO TO SEA.

The ultimate volume of theseries
This was the first of Ransome's "Swallows & Amazons" series that I ever read, and it's still my favorite.We find the Swallows (the four Walkers), the Amazons (Captain Nancy Blackett and sister-Mate Peggy), and the D's (Dick and Dorothea Callum) headquartering at Beckfoot, the old Blackett house, while impatiently waiting for Captain Flint (the Amazons' Uncle Jim) to return from South America."His mine wasn't any good," says Nancy, and she decides to fill in the time by searching for gold up on the high fells above the lake, following hints given by Slater Bob, a local miner.Complicating the program is the distance from Beckfoot to the target area and the fact that the Lake Country is seeing its driest summer in memory--and the presence of the mysterious lanky man the explorers call "Squashy Hat," who seems to be looking for the same thing they are.The book takes its title from the three homing pigeons the Blacketts own and resolve to use to keep Mrs. Blackett informed of their adventures while they camp nearer to the moors.The countryside is splendidly drawn, the children are unique individuals well sketched, their adventures and inventions are so thoroughly described that an American child could probably duplicate them, and there are thrills galore when the fells catch fire.What's more, the eight actually find...but that would be telling!Read it for yourself and find out.

Like most children's books of its period, this one is equally enjoyable by adults and would make a splendid family read-aloud.Highly recommended.

A book to fire the imagination of children of all ages
In this sixth `S & A' adventure, summer has come once more, and the Swallows are back in the Lake District, together with the two D's, on another holiday with their boating friends, the Amazon pirates. This time, the children desert the lake and take instead to the High Topps, prospecting for gold.

While adult readers will be unable to do other than admire the children's enthusiasm (sufficiently infectious to draw most young readers into it wholesale), they will probably have a feeling of impending disaster from quite early on, in this book. The Amazons' impetuous natures, combined with the others' general inexperience and limited knowledge of mining and its chemistry, lead them all (except, perhaps, the more sensible Susan!) into more scrapes, as well as rather more dangerous situations, than usual.

This leads to a different (but no less absorbing) desire to keep reading this tale than that likely to affect the more naïve younger reader. Both young and old are, nevertheless, likely to spend much of the time on tenterhooks during this book, as the young prospectors explore old mine workings, try their hand at charcoal burning and build and operate a blast furnace in their camp, out on the tinder-dry fells! For once, one can only feel something of a sense of relief that times have changed since 1936, when this was written! One can't help feeling - and being grateful for the fact - that modern children would not be terribly interested in repeating some of the activities undertaken here.

In summary, then, "Pigeon Post" is every bit as exciting (and at times far more nerve-wracking) and educational as the other books in this series: another winner from Arthur Ransome.

Swallows and Amazons at their best!
Undoubtedly the best of Arthur Ransome's 10 book Swallows and Amazons series.Suspense, intruige and natural disasters keep children and adults alike on their toes throughout.The plausibility of the story adds anexciting dimension to the plot. Ransome's superb ability to developdistinct personalities for his characters is one of the most enjoyableaspects of his writing, and Pigeon Post is perhaps his best example ofthis.

8 children go searching for gold, but they have competition
The Swallows, Amazons and D's have regrouped and are now looking for goldin the high hills west of Mrs. Blackett's farm. But with the drought dryingup all the water from possible camp sites, fires occuring all the time anda rival gold miner on the high hills it isn't going to be easy. Anothermasterpeice from Authur Ransome and I recommend it for any child who'sdreamed of having adventures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Living Life to the Hilt
This is a a very special book for people of "a certain age." I'm not at all sure that anyone under fifty would really appreciate its richness in conjuring up a life lived at the turn of the century -- Ransome was born in the 1880s -- by a nearsighted young English lad consumed with the idea that he was destined to become a writer. His incredible understated oddessy includes being at ground zero during the Russian revolution -- knowing all the major characters including Lenin and Trotsky -- learning to sail in fair weather and foul, and living a life of real hardship to becoming a celebrated author of one of the best series of children's books ever written -- The Swallows & Amazon books. His narration of the "Bohemian Life" of his day, the cast of characters of noted literary and political figures, his comments on what it meant to be educated in his world and time, made the book, for me, a vivid portrait of a world and value system that has, I fear, gone with the wind. A fine read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Sailing adventure in the 1930's
This was the book that got me started on the Swallows and Amazon's series when I was around 8 or 9. My father had an old copy he was awarded as a school prize back when he was at Boarding School in the UK during WWII. I enjoyed it from the time I first read it, and have reread it many a time since. The Walker children inadvertantly sail across the North Sea in a snall yacht, after first being swept out to sea and then sailing through a storm. Covers a short time-span but a lot of realistic adventures.

Some of the events in this book were based on real-life events that happened to Ransome himself and the yacht in the story, the Goblin, was based on a yacht that Arthur Ransome owned, all of which no doubt contributed to the realism of this book.

An unplanned adventure
This book takes place following the events of "Pigeon Post," and finds the four Walkers--John, Susan, Titty, and Roger--staying near Ipswich with their mother and four-year-old sister Bridget, waiting for their Naval father to return home from the Orient and take up his new assignment at the nearby station.Though Ransome doesn't say so directly, it's implied that they were called away from their beloved lake before the promised Second Battle of the Houseboat; they're thinking enviously of the Amazons and the D's making Captain Flint and his partner Timothy "Squashy Hat" Stedding walk the plank, and desperately missing the fun of having a small sailcraft of their own.Then they help Jim Brading, owner of the cutter "Goblin," moor to his buoy, and before they know it they've made a lifelong friend and been invited to do a little sailing while he waits to be joined by his uncle.Their landlady, who knows him, recommends him to their mother, who consents on condition that they'll be home by teatime Friday, since Cdr. Walker (returning overland by train) is expected on Saturday.But then Jim leaves them anchored near Felixstowe Dock while he makes a run ashore to get gasoline for the engine, and before he returns a sea fog rolls up the river, the tide rises, and "Goblin" begins to drag her anchor.To their horror the Walkers find themselves drifting out into the North Sea--on a stormy night.

Ransome portrays his young characters in a very believable way--worried, scared, yet determined to make the best of their situation, and making good use of the lessons they've learned aboard their little "Swallow" to keep themselves afloat.The storm prevents them from turning back, and Susan is deathly seasick, but they know that if they keep going they're certain to hit Europe--and they do, in the form of Holland, but not before their unplanned presence gives them the opportunity of rescuing a "shipwrecked sailor," a half-drowned kitten they name Sinbad.And just as they're coming into port, they encounter a very unexpected helper (you'll have to read the book to find out who it is!).Though this series is always at its best when set in the Lake Country, this entry is almost equally enjoyable, full of thrills and nautical throwaway.

In Peril on the Sea
You don't know how lucky you are to be able to simply order this book; I had to contact a bookseller in London to buy it when I was 16. This one completed my set of "Swallows and Amazon" books, and maybe that's why I love it so much. Live the adventure that starts as just a wonderful, if tame few days and nights onboard a small sailing boat and turns into a struggle for survival, and a journey of growth, as each of the four children learns his or her own weaknesses and strengths. A children's book for all ages.

The Pinnacle of the S&A Series
The five Walker children, waiting for their father to return from the Navy, are visiting a seaside town and befriend a young man who owns his own boat.While visiting the boat, their friend goes ashore and never returns.The rising tide causes the boat to drag anchor and the boat drifts out to sea....

While the previous novels have flirted with danger (like the brush fire in PIGEON POST), this time the kids are in a serious situation all through.Not only are they completely on their own at sea, they also have to deal with a severe storm and learn to improvise their needs.

John really comes into his own in this book, developing into a responsible young man.The kids' reactions to their situation are realistic and gripping.Their sense of responsibility is also impressive; they're desperate to take care of the boat they're in, and also rescue a half-drowned kitten from a piece of flotsam.(The kitten is dubbed Sinbad and returns for an appearance in the next book.)

The descriptions of their experiences at sea are extremely well-written.The only thing marring the book is a seemingly convenient coincidence toward the end, when the kids land in the Netherlands only to meet....their father?!?!?!Then again, I've had a few wild coincidences happen to me in the past, so it's not entirely out of the question.

Still, all in all, this is the best book in the series, a gripping adventure and coming-of-age tale.

Next in the series:A step backwards with SECRET WATER.

No plain sailing but a great read nevertheless!
Arthur Ransome's seventh "Swallows and Amazons" adventure is set not long after the action of "Pigeon Post". The action occurs, this time, in the south of England, rather than in the Lake District, and with just the Swallows alone. They are passing the time on the Rivers Orwell and Stour, while waiting to meet up with their father - due, at any time, on leave from his overseas posting with the Royal Navy.

What starts out as a few days quiet sailing, though, quickly turns into something rather more frightening, with the children suddenly drawn into a terrifying and completely unexpected adventure, when they find themselves and their (borrowed) boat being swept out to sea by a fierce tide. For once, the Swallows face a very real and serious danger that is to test their combined courage, fortitude and seamanship to the utmost. It is fascinating (for grown-up readers, at least) to see each of the children's highly individual (and completely characteristic) reactions to their predicament. Younger readers, of course, are more likely just to be carried away by the pure nail-biting suspense of it all!

While this is a gripping and enthralling tale throughout, the tensions (arising from the danger and the worries of the older children) are lightened for the reader by the pure infectious glee of the younger pair. They, of course, are less aware of the seriousness of their predicament - especially Roger, who, as usual, is perfectly content so long as there is plenty of food around - and rather enjoy themselves!

As in all of the "Swallows and Amazons" books, Ransome's story-telling abilities are second to none, here. The narrative is at all times feasible and this book is a completely absorbing read for young and old alike. This is an inspired and an inspiring tale. Readers who have worked their way through the earlier volumes will also not be disappointed when they finally do get to meet Daddy in this volume! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Coot Club
If you have read any of the Swallows and Amazons books and liked them you will love this one too. In my opinion they are all good, but this is definitely one of his best!

The D's Take Center Stage
After being introduced in the last book, WINTER HOLIDAY, the D's (aka Dick and Dorothea Callum), have their own adventure.

It's the Easter holiday following their winter adventure, and they're going to the Norfolk Broads to stay with a friend of their mother, Mrs. Barrable, to stay on a boat.The D's are eager to learn some sailing but are desolated to find out that they can't.But soon they're involved with the Coot Club:leader Tom Dudgeon, twins Port and Starboard, and the Death-and-Glories, a trio of youngsters who play at piracy.The Coot Club watches over the waterbirds nesting in the Broads, and after a boatload of crass tourists anchors near an important nest and refuses to move, Tom sets them adrift and ends up being hunted.The D's and Mrs. Barrable come to the rescue, hiding him on their boat and using him to teach sailing.

Ransome's fondness for the Norfolk Broads shines through.I didn't get into it as much as some of the other books, mainly because I miss the Swallows and Amazons as well as the lake setting.But this book is interesting for some of the more serious themes that creep in.This is the first S&A book that takes a strong environmental theme, and it's great to see that in something from the 30s.It also explores the theme of sometimes you have to take a stand for what you believe in, even if it gets you in trouble.We also see the tension between residents of the broads and noisy vacationers who don't respect them or the rules of the area.There are also elegiac glimmers of the passage of time, of how the Broads aren't quite what they used to be, although that might not necessarily be bad.It's also fun to see Mrs. Barrable referred to as "The Admiral" by the crew.

It's a fun book, and easy for me to visualize after visiting places like Chincoteague and the eastern shore of Maryland.It's nice spending time with the D's and seeing some of the new characters, who will make a return appearance later in the series.Next book:PIGEON POST, in which the D's reunite with the S&As and return to the lake.

Thrills galore on the Norfolk Broads
In this book Ransome focuses on the two most recently introduced members of his juvenile cast, Dick and Dorothea Callum, who are sent to spend part of their Easter holidays with Mrs. Barrable, their mother's old schoolmistress, along the rivers of the Norfolk wetlands.Eager to learn to sail so they can take part in the adventures planned for the lake next summer, their spirits plummet when they learn that Mrs. Barrable "can't sail her boat by herself" and plans to use it only as a houseboat.Unexpected salvation occurs in the form of Tom Dudgeon, son of a local doctor, who finds himself a fugitive after setting a motor-cruiser adrift to protect a coot's nest being observed by himself and his five friends (Port and Starboard, the twin girls who live near the Dudgeons, and the Death and Glories, Joe, Pete, and Bill).Seeking shelter from the outraged motorboaters aboard Mrs. Barrable's rented craft, he meets the trio and finds instant common ground, and quickly agrees to serve as Captain and teach the Callums "the ropes."Though there's less imaginative play in this book than in the rest of the series, it still features Ransome's splendid insight into juvenile minds and character, plus loving description of the countryside and a strong consciousness of the environment that must have been unusual in the 1930's.Though this volume will never be my favorite of the series--somehow things are never so lively without Captain Nancy Blackett on board!--it succeeds on its own terms and will be a pleasant change of pace for families reading aloud in sequence.

An exciting children's boating adventure
This is the fifth of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons" tales, although, in fact, it features not a single member of either the Swallows or the Amazons. Nor, indeed, is it set anywhere near the English Lake District. Instead, it describes the Norfolk Broads boating adventures of the two D's (first introduced to the reader in the previous book, "Winter Holiday").

The tale is set in the children's Easter holidays, just a few months after the events of the preceding book. In it, Dick and Dorothea are anxious to learn the rudiments of sailing so that they can take a more active part in the fun when they next meet up with the Swallows and Amazons. Dick is also keen to do some bird watching. It is almost inevitable, therefore, that soon after arriving in Norfolk, they find therefore themselves tangled in up in (and helping out with) the troubles of the Coot Club - a group of local (boat-mad) children dedicated to the protection of the Broads' unique bird population.

Ransome loved the Norfolk Broads with a passion that possibly even exceeded his love of the Lake District. In this book, he paints a portrait of Norfolk, its waterways and the people who live on or by them, making plain his love for this unique environment and its way of life. The story centres on his concerns over their continuing destruction through ever-increasing tourism (and the increasingly thoughtless actions of its visitors), a major problem even 65 years ago. (It is far worse now, of course!) Unlike his Lake District stories, this one uses the real names of the places that feature in it and revels in describing them. Indeed, the book reads almost like a guidebook at times, although you barely notice this, for it is never anything less that engaging in its content. As always, Ransome combines both narrative and instructive content with consummate ease, tempered here with an excitement to the events that unfold. He weaves a tale that is as enthralling and captivating as ever, that will appeal to lovers of good tales whatever their age. The author's own pen-and-ink drawings are as charming as ever, too.

This is one of the few Swallows and Amazons books that can be read earlier in the sequence than it appears (if you really must) without major detriment to either itself or the earlier stories (except, perhaps "Winter Holiday"). You do need to have read it before most of the ones that follow it, however, as the events described here feature heavily in later ones.

Birds and Boating
Another great S & A classic, this time dealing with nature conservation.When Tom sets a noisy boat loose from its moorings in order to save a nest of Coot eggs, whose parents have been frightened off by the boat, he knows there will be trouble if the occupants catch sight of him,but not how much.A wonderful tale of boating on the Norfolk BroadswithRansome's usual blend of adventure and imagined adventure. ... Read more

Book Description
This new edition of Racundra’s First Cruise includes the original maps, text and photos from the 1923 first edition, of which only 1500 copies were printed.

The book also contains a detailed introduction detailing Ransome’s Baltic sailing in Slug and Kittiwake and includes unpublished articles and essays together with many original Ransome pictures and present day photographs of the area.

The manuscript has been researched, edited and introduced by Brian Hammett, who received critical acclaim for his work on Racundra’s Third Cruise. Details of Racundra’s life after Ransome are also included. It has the full support of Ransome’s literary executors who are delighted to see it republished. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Nostalgia, saltwater, the towns of the Baltic coast in the 1920's
I have a Penguin edition of 1956 without all the additional material of this new edition. But the basic story is the same.

This is a charming narrative of a cruise in a well-built little sailboat, in waters of the Baltic countries, to places the author clearly knows and loves.

Arthur Ransome later wrote a series of children's books focused on sailing. He would certainly have agreed with Kenneth Grahame's "Ratty" that ""There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." One might qualify that, noting that in Ransome's books, the sailing is rather more directed and purposeful - but he always communicates the sheer joy of being on the water in a craft that responds to the elements, at your direction (He was not a fan of engines of any kind - a sometimes necessary evil. Sailing was the thing.)

"Racundra's First Cruise" was published in 1923. He had commissioned the building of Racundra, a thirty-foot ketch built for seaworthiness and comfort inside. With the "Ancient Mariner" - an old veteran of the days of sail in clipper ships - and "Cook" - probably the companion who was to become his second wife, but only identified by her unending task - he takes us through many sometimes tricky passages along the Baltic coast, visiting old cobblestoned towns and remote peasant villages.It is delightful to sink back into a time when the sea was still full of trading vessels under sail, though of course large and small steamers also abounded. Mentions of "during the war" refer of course to the Great War. Relics of older conflicts abound - Russian, Swedish, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian - and Ransome provides many interesting footnotes to their stories.

My favorite encounter is that with the enigmatic man who lives alone, building a ship, in the forest. The ship is at first seen as "a golden hull in the shadows among those tall trees" then we see that "the upper planking was new, certainly, ruddy gold where the sun caught it, but lower down her hull was weathered"...."The keel, laid on great stones, was joined to them by moss. There was lichen upon it, and on the foot of the stern-post was a large, bright cluster of scarlet toadstools."

Enjoy.

cruising
Great little book - takes you back to a different, simpler, world.You don't have to be a sailor to enjoy this.

A book that has all the ingredients for a marvellous movie
I wonder why Hollywood has not yet discovered this book: it has all the ingredients for a box-office hit - sailing in the Baltics, scenic sea- and landscapes, a romantic love affair of a British writer and the private secretary of Leon Trotsky. And the background - the Russian revolution, Estonia's struggle for independence. Rare photos illustrate the book. A must for the romantic sailor! ... Read more

Book Description
A new edition of the classic account of a voyage in search of Arthur Ransome following clues found among the contents of the beloved author's trunk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The story behind my favourite childhood books
Like many English boys (and girls... and not just English, come to think of it) growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, my favourite books were Arthur Ransome's wonderful stories about children messing about in boats in the Lake District, Norfolk Broads, and elsewhere. I read them all at least five times, from "Swallows & Amazon" to "Great Northern". I bought a paperback set for my children, and I think my son really got into them too. Now there's a new book (technically a new expanded edition) that gives the complete back-story: of Arthur Ransome, his life, and his boats; of the family whose children inspired the original stories; of the relationship between the geography of the books and the real world; and of visiting the places about which he wrote so many years ago. Nicely written, well illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, and utterly fascinating.

Not surprisingly, I'm planning to re-read the stories all over again, with fresh eyes. ... Read more

Product Description
In the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's beloved Swallows and Amazons series, the five Walker children are left on a "desert island" by their parents with provisions for a long stay and a blank map to fill in. Like all of Ransome's books, this is at once a real adventure and a lesson in the practicalities of exploring - in this case, of surveying the inlets, coves, mudflats, and estuaries of "Walker Island." Naturally, there are enemies to overcome (another clan named "The Eels") and friends to meet (who else but the intrepid "Amazons?"). And, as always, the children do it all solo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

tides and mud
This is my least favorite Swallows & Amazons book.The Swallows, Amazons, and new friends the Eels are mapping the islands and channels in a tidal slough.This means waiting for the right tide, sailing somewhere, getting stuck a lot in the mud, taking bearings, and racing back to camp before the tide goes out.Repeat for five or six days.I wish they'd gone with Nancy's idea of a war instead!

The surveying and the illustrations of the map in progress are interesting, but you need the completed map (in the front cover) to follow Ransome's vague descriptions, and that map reveals many plot points, spoiling any sense of tension.

A slower paced Ransome
After writing some of the most thrilling children's stories ever (including those featuring a certain H. Potter), Ransome slowed the pace with Secret Water. Actually, the plot is just a bit feeble and while it has its moments of excitement, this may be the weakest of the Swallows and Amazons series. I read it directly after We Didn't Mean to go to Sea and Great Northern and it lacks their power and drama. Yet in Secret Water the reader is among friends and that, plus the usual Ransome writing skills, make it well worth reading.

Explorers and savages
Set immediately following the events of "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea," this volume in the Swallows & Amazons series finds the Walkers once again sunk in gloom as their father, Cdr. Walker, has been denied his hoped-for leave, which will apparently prevent them from going on their planned family cruise to a region of marshes and islands suggested by their friend Jim Brading.Then Daddy gets his Great Idea: he and Mother will "maroon" the children (including Ship's Baby Bridget and Ship's Kitten Sinbad) with camping gear and provisions while they go up to London, and the "shipwrecked sailors" will explore and chart the unknown regions in which they've found themselves.The large island that will serve as their headquarters is surrounded by mud flats at low tide and has a farm (promptly christened a "native kraal" by Titty) near the middle of it, and with a small sailing boat of their own, the "Wizard," the self-sufficient and experienced Walkers anticipate no real trouble.

They've scarcely set up camp when they meet a local boy whom they dub "the Mastodon" (for the queer round tracks he leaves while walking with his "splatchers," a kind of snowshoe for use in mud) and learn that he's anticipating the arrival of his "tribe," the Eels, who camp on a nearby island every year for a spell of pretend savagery.(Why they're so late in coming--it's almost the end of the summer holidays--is never properly explained.)Then, to their astonishment and delight, the Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett, join them with another small boat, "Firefly," and Nancy, as always, starts livening things up by suggesting that the explorers become blood members of the tribe.The Mastodon is willing: he thinks Bridget would make a much better human sacrifice (the centerpiece of the annual corroborree) than the usual one, skinny Daisy.Then the Eels hear of the explorers' presence and send word to him to get rid of them any way he can, and at first it looks as if the whole expedition will be ruined.But this time it's Bridget, though only four, who saves the day when she gets "captured" by the Eels and explains the situation to them.Immediate friendship results, and the mapmaking and corroborree are both resounding successes.

As always, Ransome draws his characters and setting with skill and avoids "talking down" to his readers.Titty and Roger, the Able-Seamen, though still young enough to get in trouble, are clearly growing and maturing through their past experiences, as is shown in one episode where they're stranded on the mudflats with the tide coming in.Suspense and tension abound almost to the very last page, as the Amazons in "Firefly" and the AB's in "Wizard," having resolved to complete the blank map left by Cdr. Walker, race the returning "Goblin" to the explorers' camp.The harum-scarum Blacketts, who always improve any book they appear in, add their special brand of imagination, and while it still isn't quite as good as the adventures set in the Lake Country, this volume in the series is a definite keeper.

One of the best
This Arthur Ransome is as good as the rest, well written and with a new venue. This is a real location in almost all respects. What I missed reading this as a child was the context. Commander Walker gets an urgent summonds from the navy. As an adult, looking at the date of publication, I see that the book came out in November 1939. This was immediately after WWII was declared by Britain and Commander Walker was obviously very busy!
The plot of this book uses the usual Ransome themes, sailing exploration and a human sacrifice! You may not learn as much about sailing in this one, but that's all been covered in the others. As usual some of the main characters are strong females, in this case two!
Read and enjoy!

A step backwards for the S/A series...
...but still worth reading.

After the serious adventure in the last book, WE DIDN'T MEAN TO GO TO SEA, we have the Swallows and Amazons back in the pretending and exploring mode.The major difference this time is that they're completely on their own, since the Swallows' parents were so impressed with their responsibility in the last book.

We get John's growing sense of responsibility toward the others, and some of the pains of growing up.We also get a boat race, some pretend-cannibalism, and a serious problem when some of the kids are trapped by a rising tide.

The scenery and setting are well-described; one really gets a visual sense of where they are and what they're doing.Some new kids, the Eels, are introduced, and are fairly interesting, but are never seen again in the course of the series.

Next:The D's return in THE BIG SIX. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Moral: Riches make one clever
The story of the fool and his remarkable flying ship is a classic through and through.The classic tale of how a single man is able, with the help of his clever friends, to fulfill every task the local ruler (in this case, the Czar) sets before him is both a pleasure to read and a joy to reread.In the case of the 1968 edition of this story, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz, I can't say that this is the definitive version of the tale to read to your kids.It's enjoyable, yes.It has a nice text and it flows rather well.Unfortunately, the illustrations are a bit lax and while the book is a good read, it doesn't endear itself as much as it might to the average child reader.

In this book, there was once a boy who was a fool who had two elder brothers who were intelligent.The Czar commands that whosoever brings before him a flying ship shall marry his daughter.Intrigued, the elder brothers take off to do the deed and are never heard from again.The fool also goes off and in his travels he meets a wise old man.After sharing his repast, the old man gives the lad some strict instructions that sound ridiculous but ultimately lead to a beautiful flying ship.Once the lad takes off he gathers with him every man he sees on the road, no matter how bizarre.After landing in the Czar's backyard, the peasants on the ship do not sufficiently impress the lofty ruler.He then proceeds to set a series of incredibly difficult tasks for the fool, but in the end the magic men and the boy overcome every last one.Finally, the fool marries the princess and (as a result of his riches) is now handsome, clever, and impresses everyone he meets.The end.

Completely disregarding an ending where not only do the clothes make the man but wealth as well, the book is a good one.Randsome has a nice grasp on the best ways in which to tell this tale, and the escalating silliness is impressive.I don't wish to put down the art that illustrator Uri Shulevitz worked so hard to produce for the book, but let's face facts.This is fairly bland stuff.Drawn with rather sketchy pencils and lines, the book is adequate but by no means overwhelming.The fool appears as an apple-cheeked young rapscallion but you don't really feel