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Product Description
Product Description
Arthur Ransome's delightful adventure series of children's books, "Swallows and Amazons", has captured the imagination of children and adults alike ever since they were first published in the 1930s. Even today, eighty years after the very first book was published, the series remains as popular and enduring as ever. Ransome once described writing books for children as like reliving the best part of childhood, but this was far from the whole truth. His genius as a storyteller stemmed from an almost infinite capacity for painstaking perfectionism. Once Ransome had completed the first draft, he would then settle down to write a complete revision and the most difficult chapters were written over and over again. Unhappy with the illustrations produced for the first book, Ransome persuaded the publishers to go to print with none at all, save for the cover image and by book three, he'd taken the decision to do all his own illustrations. Using primary written sources, including letters, diary entries and Ransome's own working notes, Roger Wardale expertly pieces together the fascinating story of how the twelve "Swallows & Amazons" books came to be written against the odds. Wardale observes how the stories evolved from the point of view of all those who were closely involved - Ransome's publisher, his mother, his wife, his friends and fans - as well as Ransome himself. It is an amazing story of a dedicated writer battling against the problems of ill health, a critical and argumentative wife, his own perceived shortcoming and an expectant publisher. Wardale's account provides a new fresh look at the enduring "Swallows and Amazons" series and how and why they came into being - a must-read for any Ransome fan.
About the Author
Roger Wardale is a founder member and chairman of the Arthur Ransome Society and has written several books on Arthur Ransome and the hugely successful Swallows and Amazons series.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
This is a very useful book for the Ransome enthusiast as it sets out much of the existing known information in a logical fashion.
It also adds some good snippets of new information.
Pictures are excellent and the colour pictures possess a real Ransome related atmosphere. There also included drawings by two of the other Ransome book illustrators, Clifford Webb and Helene Carter. The latter was much admired by Ransome for her work in illustrating many American editions of his books.
In such a detailed work there is inevitably the occasional error. An example is the caption to the Pin Mill Hard picture on Page 109. The stream is actually the Grindle whilst the Twizzle is the water leading to Kirby (Witch's) Quay in the following chapter.
Such errors do not detract from the value of the book, which will form a very useful reference for Ransome's Swallows & Amazons series.
It also adds some good snippets of new information.
Pictures are excellent and the colour pictures possess a real Ransome related atmosphere. There also included drawings by two of the other Ransome book illustrators, Clifford Webb and Helene Carter. The latter was much admired by Ransome for her work in illustrating many American editions of his books.
In such a detailed work there is inevitably the occasional error. An example is the caption to the Pin Mill Hard picture on Page 109. The stream is actually the Grindle whilst the Twizzle is the water leading to Kirby (Witch's) Quay in the following chapter.
Such errors do not detract from the value of the book, which will form a very useful reference for Ransome's Swallows & Amazons series.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
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I doubt whether this book would appeal to a reader not familiar with the 'Swallows and Amazons' series of children's books; it clearly isn't aimed at newcomers but at the millions who have grown up with the stories. Just in case you AREN'T familiar (in which case I'm surprised that you are reading this review!), the series consists of twelve books, published between 1930 and 1947 and continuously in print ever since. The reference to millions growing up with the stories is no exaggeration; the books enjoyed huge success in the United States, where they were published shortly after the UK editions, and have since been translated into a number of languages. They have proved exceptionally popular in Japan and in the Czech Republic.
From the outset the popularity of the books created interest in the locations (five were set in the Lake District and four in East Anglia) and in recent years several organisations have been founded with the objective of studying all aspects of Ransome's life and works. Inevitably, there is now a breed of 'experts' whose knowledge of minutiae can seem overpowering to us lesser mortals. Roger Wardale is a member of the Arthur Ransome Society and undoubtedly an expert, but he is to be congratulated on producing a book which is an absolute joy to read and never presumes prior knowledge beyond an affectionate memory of the original books.
The first two chapters provide a concise review of Ransome's life before 'Swallows and Amazons' - he was 46 when the first book in the series was published. To say that he had an interesting life is something of a understatement, but there are already several biographical studies and the author wisely limits himself to an overview in sufficient detail to set the scene for the rest of the book. The remaining thirteen chapters look in rather more detail at what was happening in Ransome's life while each book was in preparation - there's one chapter for each book and a further chapter covering material which was never completed. Sources include Ransome's letters, diaries and working notes, skilfully combined in a narrative which grips and informs and which never fails to evoke delicious memories of each book in the series.
If, like me, you took part vicariously in the adventures of the Walkers, the Blacketts, the Callums et al, you have to buy this book. It provides you with an unassailable excuse to wallow in pure nostalgia and at the same time helps you to increase your understanding of a remarkable man who - despite his constant self-doubts - possessed the ability to bring delight and lasting pleasure to generations of children, including those rather older children sometimes mistakenly described as adults.
From the outset the popularity of the books created interest in the locations (five were set in the Lake District and four in East Anglia) and in recent years several organisations have been founded with the objective of studying all aspects of Ransome's life and works. Inevitably, there is now a breed of 'experts' whose knowledge of minutiae can seem overpowering to us lesser mortals. Roger Wardale is a member of the Arthur Ransome Society and undoubtedly an expert, but he is to be congratulated on producing a book which is an absolute joy to read and never presumes prior knowledge beyond an affectionate memory of the original books.
The first two chapters provide a concise review of Ransome's life before 'Swallows and Amazons' - he was 46 when the first book in the series was published. To say that he had an interesting life is something of a understatement, but there are already several biographical studies and the author wisely limits himself to an overview in sufficient detail to set the scene for the rest of the book. The remaining thirteen chapters look in rather more detail at what was happening in Ransome's life while each book was in preparation - there's one chapter for each book and a further chapter covering material which was never completed. Sources include Ransome's letters, diaries and working notes, skilfully combined in a narrative which grips and informs and which never fails to evoke delicious memories of each book in the series.
If, like me, you took part vicariously in the adventures of the Walkers, the Blacketts, the Callums et al, you have to buy this book. It provides you with an unassailable excuse to wallow in pure nostalgia and at the same time helps you to increase your understanding of a remarkable man who - despite his constant self-doubts - possessed the ability to bring delight and lasting pleasure to generations of children, including those rather older children sometimes mistakenly described as adults.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I strongly recommend this book to Ransome fans, new readers and just to those curious about Ransome. There are even some new gems of information in this book for genuine Ransome enthusiasts! The familiar information is presented beautifully, with excellent photographs, rare illustrations, etc. After quite a lot of focus in recent years on Ransome's life before writing Swallows and Amazons, it is very pleasing to have a book that focuses on his art as a storyteller.
Buy it!!
Buy it!!
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