''Swallows and Amazons'' is a children's

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

novel by English author Arthur Ransome first published on 21 July 1930 by

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

. Set in the summer of 1929 in the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

, the book introduces the main characters of John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker (Swallows); as well as their mother, Mary; and their baby sister, Bridget (nicknamed Vicky). We also meet Nancy and Peggy Blackett (Amazons); their uncle Jim (James Turner), commonly referred to as Captain Flint; and their widowed mother, Molly Blackett. It is the first book in the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series, followed by '' Swallowdale''. At the time, Ransome had been working as a journalist with the ''Manchester Guardian'', but decided to become a full-time author rather than go abroad as a foreign correspondent. He did continue to write part-time for the press, however. The book was inspired by a summer spent by Ransome teaching the children of his friends, the Altounyans, to sail. Three of the Altounyan children's names are adopted directly for the Walker family. Ransome and Ernest Altounyan bought two small

dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...

called ''Swallow'' and ''Mavis''. Ransome kept ''Swallow'' until he sold it a number of years later, while ''Mavis'' remained in the Altounyan family and is now on permanent display in the Ruskin Museum. However, later in life Ransome tried to downplay the Altounyan connections, changing the initial dedication of ''Swallows and Amazons'' and writing a new foreword which gave other sources. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 57 on the BBC's survey

The Big Read The Big Read was a survey on books that was carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, when over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel. The year-long survey was th ...

Plot summary

The book relates the outdoor adventures and play of two families of children. These involve sailing, camping, fishing, exploration and

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. The Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) are staying at a farm near a lake in the

of England, during the school holidays. They sail a borrowed

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...

named ''Swallow'' and meet the Blackett children (Nancy and Peggy), who sail a dinghy named ''Amazon''. The Walkers camp on an island (which the Blacketts named "Wild Cat Island") in the lake, while the Blacketts live in their mainland house nearby. When the children meet, they agree to join forces against a common enemy – the Blacketts' uncle Jim Turner whom they call "Captain Flint" (after the parrot in '' Treasure Island''). Turner, normally an ally of his nieces, has withdrawn from their company to write his memoirs, and has become decidedly unfriendly. Furthermore, when the Blacketts let off a firework on his houseboat roof, it is the Walkers who get the blame. He refuses even to listen when they try to pass on a warning to him about actual real-life burglars in the area. To determine who should be the overall leader in their campaign against Captain Flint, the Blacketts and the Walkers have a contest to see which can capture the others' boat. As part of their strategy, the Walkers make a dangerous crossing of the lake by night, and John is later cautioned by his mother for this reckless act. The Walkers nevertheless win the contest – thanks to Titty who seizes the ''Amazon'' when the Blacketts secretly come to Wild Cat Island in hopes of capturing the ''Swallow''. During the same night Titty hears suspicious voices coming from a different island – Cormorant Island – and in the morning it transpires that Turner's houseboat has been burgled, and his locked sea-chest stolen. Turner again blames the Walkers, but is finally convinced that he was mistaken and penitently reconciles with all the children, also feeling that he was wrong to distance himself from his nieces' adventures all summer. The Swallows, Amazons, and Turner join forces to investigate Cormorant Island, but they cannot find Turner's missing trunk. The following day, there is a mock battle between Turner and the children, after which Turner is tried for his "crimes" (grouchy attitude, neglectful behavior, etc.) and forced to walk the plank on his own houseboat. They agree at the post-battle feast that on the final day of their holidays, Titty and Roger will go back to Cormorant Island while the others go fishing. Titty finds the trunk, which contains the memoirs on which Turner had been working, and is rewarded with the overjoyed Turner's green parrot for a pet. James Turner appears in some ways to be modelled on Ransome himself. The story, set in August 1929, includes a good deal of everyday Lakeland life from the farmers to

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

burners working in the woods; corned beef, which the children fancifully refer to as

pemmican Pemmican () (also pemican in older sources) is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigeno ...

, and ginger beer and

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

, which they call

grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. Origin and history Popularization of rum and invention of grog Following Invasion of Jamaica, England's conquest of Jamaica in 1655, rum gradually replaced beer and brandy as the drink ...

, appear as regular food stuff for the campers; island life also allows for occasional references to the story of

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

Major characters

; John Walker : Eldest of the Walkers and captain of the ''Swallow'' ; Susan Walker : Second eldest of the Walkers and mate of the ''Swallow'' ; Titty Walker : Able Seaman of the ''Swallow''. This name was the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan, from Joseph Jacobs's children's story ''Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse''. It was changed to Kitty in the original BBC adaptation of the book, and Tatty for a 2016

BBC Films BBC Film (formerly BBC Films) is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It was founded on 18 June 1990, and has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), Truly, ...

adaptation ; Roger Walker : Youngest of the sailing Walkers and ship's boy of the ''Swallow''. His name is taken from the real life Roger Altounyan who later became a pioneering researcher of treatments for

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. ; Bridget Walker : Youngest of the Walkers, and ship's baby of the ''Swallow''. Nicknamed Vicky due to a resemblance to pictures of Queen Victoria in old age. ; Nancy "Ruth" Blackett : Captain of the ''Amazon''. ; Peggy "Margaret" Blackett : Nancy's younger sister and mate of the ''Amazon'' ; James Turner : Nancy and Peggy's uncle. Known to the children as "Captain Flint", and to the Blacketts as "Uncle Jim".

Setting

According to Ransome, every place in his book can be found in the Lake District, but he took different locations and placed them in different ways: the lake is a fictionalised version of

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

but the surrounding countryside more closely resembles that around Coniston. Wild Cat Island, the location of the island camp, has elements from Peel Island in Coniston and Blake Holme (or Blakeholme) in Windermere. Holly Howe, the farmhouse of the Jacksons where the Swallows stay, is based on Bank Ground Farm, which exists to this day. It was featured in the 1974 film. The main town on the lake is called ''Rio'' by the children but has a "native name"; it is based on the twin towns of Bowness-on-Windermere on

lake and the nearby town of

. They call the main fell or mountain near the lake '' Kanchenjunga'' (the Amazons' parents and uncle called it the ''

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

''); it is based on the

Old Man of Coniston Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...

near Coniston Water. The branch railway to Rio runs ten miles from ''Strickland Junction'', based on Oxenholme near

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

Illustrations

The artist chosen for the first edition of the book was Steven Spurrier, but Ransome objected to his style and so the first edition did not have any illustrations. Spurrier's drawing for the dust jacket had to be used. The second edition contained drawings by Clifford Webb but after Ransome successfully illustrated '' Peter Duck'' himself, he decided to do his own drawings for all the books, including those already published, and Webb's drawings were replaced in later editions.

Critical reception

Reviewing the book for the U.K. daily newspaper ''The Manchester Guardian'' (forerunner of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'')

Malcolm Muggeridge Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was a conservative British journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, i ...

wrote:

"Children's books are probably the most difficult of all to write; they are certainly the most difficult to review. For children alone can properly judge their worth, and children, very wisely, never review. An adult has to refer back to his own childhood and ask himself: Would I have enjoyed such a book then? The answer, in the case of ''Swallow and Amazons'', icis very definitely, Yes. Moreover, the book is entirely charming quite apart from its qualities as child literature. This is rare; for, generally speaking, nothing makes drearier reading than the conscious juvenility of adults."

Muggeridge continued,

"Mr. Ransome has the same magical power that
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
had of being the child in terms of himself. He never talks down; never finds it necessary to be patronising or sentimental. And sentimentality is the most terrible pitfall that besets those who venture into the world of play. ��Captain John and Mate Susan, and Able-seaman Titty, and Ship's Boy Roger are not at all like Christopher Robin. ey are children. And the story of their adventures on a little island in the middle of an English lake is thrilling just because it is not fabulous. ��It is make-believe such as all children have indulged in: even children who have not been so fortunate as to have a lake and a boat and an island but only a backyard amongst the semis of Suburbia."

More recently, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' commented that "With a few exceptions, adventure in contemporary children’s literature is safely relegated to the past, or the realms of fantasy, facilitated by wizardry (

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

) or demi-gods ( Percy Jackson). ''Swallows and Amazons'' contains no sorcery; its plot is plausible, its characters ordinary children. Therein lies its enduring magic. A celebration of friendship, imagination, fair play, and exploration, ''Swallows and Amazons'' inspires even the most landlocked kid to dream of messing about in boats, building fires, camping out and navigating by the stars."

Adaptations

Radio

In 1936 the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

broadcast ''Swallows and Amazons'' as a "dialogue story" in five weekly episodes during The Children's Hour on the BBC National Programme (later known as the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

). The book was adapted by Barbara Sleigh. From 9 October 1947 up to and including 22 January 1948 ''Swallows and Amazons'' was adapted into fifteen episodes and read by Derek McCulloch (Uncle Mac) during

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

on the

Television

In 1963, the

produced an adaptation, '' Swallows and Amazons,'' with John Paul as "Captain Flint" and Susan George as the renamed "Kitty". The series was directed by Peter Saunders.

Film

EMI released a version in 1974, directed by Claude Whatham and produced by Richard Pilbrow. The film starred Virginia McKenna (Mrs. Walker) and Ronald Fraser (Uncle Jim), and Sophie Neville (Titty), Zanna Hamilton (Susan), Simon West (John) and Stephen Grendon (Roger) as the Swallows. The 2016 film was directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and written by Andrea Gibb. The film stars Andrew Scott, Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald,

Jessica Hynes Jessica Hynes (''née'' Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011–2012) and ''W1A'' (2014–2 ...

, and

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...

Other versions

In August 1999 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a radio adaptation by David Wood with

Jean Anderson Mary Jean Heriot Powell (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001), better known by her stage name Jean Anderson, was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as formidable matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama ''The Brothers (197 ...

as Titty seventy years later narrating. Young Titty was played by Phoebe Phillips, John by John Paul Ekins, Susan by Flora Harris, Roger by Joe Sowerbutts, mother by Penny Downie, Nancy by Catherine Poole, Peggy by Jackie Swainson and Uncle Jim by Nicholas Le Prevost. The

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

started developing a musical version of ''Swallows and Amazons'' in 2007. Helen Edmundson wrote the book and lyrics while

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

's frontman Neil Hannon wrote the music. The musical premiered at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

on 1 December 2010 and played at the Vaudeville Theatre, in London's West End, from 15 December 2011, prior to going on tour around the UK from January to May 2012. The production features adults playing the children and has been received favourably by reviewers.

Publication details

*1930, UK, Jonathan Cape, Pub date 21 July 1930, hardback (First edition, unillustrated) *1931, UK, Jonathan Cape, Pub date 1931, hardback (First "Clifford Webb" illustrated edition) *1931, US, J.B.Lippincott company, Philadelphia, 1931. Hardback, no full illustrations, front and back plates plus chapter headings by Helene Carter. *1938, UK, Jonathan Cape, Pub date 1938, hardback (First "Ransome" illustrated edition) *1958, US, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (), Pub date ? June 1958, hardback *1994, US, David R. Godine, Publisher (), paperback *1995, UK, ISIS Audio Books (), Pub date August 1995, audio book cassette (unabridged) *1999, UK, Jonathan Cape (), Pub date 1999, hardback *2001, UK, Red Fox Classics (), Pub date 5 April 2001, paperback *2001, UK, Red Fox (), Pub date 5 October 2001, paperback *2005, UK, Gabriel Woolf (), Pub date July 2005, audio book CD *2010, US, David R. Godine, Publisher (), Pub date 16 July 2010, paperback revised edition

References

External links

*
Swallows and Amazons information and news website

TarBoard, the Arthur Ransome and 'Swallows and Amazons' forum
* * *
The 2016 film's official website

The original boats now housed in the Cumbrian museum – BBC photo website
*
The 2014–15 theatrical production's pages at the Bristol Old Vic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swallows and Amazons 1930 British novels 1930 children's books British adventure novels British children's novels Novels set in the Lake District Children's books set in Cumbria Novels set on islands Children's books set on islands Fiction set in 1929 Novels set in the 1920s Children's books set in the 1920s British novels adapted into films Adventure novels adapted into films Children's books adapted into films Swallows and Amazons series