Swallows and Amazons Series
Set on the English Lakes, rivers and estuaries, with occasional trips abroad, this series by Arthur Ransome follows the adventures of a set of English children messing about in boats:
- Swallows and Amazons (1930)
- Swallowdale (1932)
- Peter Duck (1933)
- Winter Holiday (1934)
- Coot Club (1935)
- Pigeon Post (1937)
- We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea (1938)
- Secret Water (1940)
- The Big Six (1940)
- Missee Lee (1942)
- The Picts and the Martyrs (1943)
- Great Northern? (1948)
- Coots in the North and Other Stories (a fragment) (1988)
Books in the Swallows and Amazons series:
Swallows and Amazons (1930)
The four Swallows receive permission from their sailor father to sail by themselves on one of the English lakes in a telegram: ‘BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN.’
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Steven Spurrier
Swallowdale (1931)
The Swallows return to the lake for the summer holidays but on their third day disaster strikes and they are marooned on shore.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Clifford Webb
Swallows and Amazons (1931)
The four Swallows receive permission from their sailor father to sail by themselves on one of the English lakes in a telegram: ‘BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN.’
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Swallows and Amazons (1931)
The four Swallows receive permission from their sailor father to sail by themselves on one of the English lakes in a telegram: ‘BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN.’
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Clifford Webb
Peter Duck (1932)
The Swallows, Amazons and Captain Flint sail in search of treasure and must fight not only a hurricane but also pirates.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Swallowdale (1932)
The Swallows return to the lake for the summer holidays but on their third day disaster strikes and they are marooned on shore.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Swallowdale (1932)
The Swallows return to the lake for the summer holidays but on their third day disaster strikes and they are marooned on shore.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Peter Duck (1933)
The Swallows, Amazons and Captain Flint sail in search of treasure and must fight not only a hurricane but also pirates.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Arthur Ransome
Winter Holiday (1933)
Dick and Dorothea are spending the winter holidays by the lake where they meet the Swallows and Amazons. Thanks to Nancy’s mumps their vacation is extended as the lake freezes over.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Coot Club (1934)
When the Hullabaloos moor right on top of the coots’ nest, what choice had Tom Dudgeon but to cast their motor boat adrift? Dot and Dick help the outlaw elude his pursuers.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Winter Holiday (1934)
Dick and Dorothea are spending the winter holidays by the lake where they meet the Swallows and Amazons. Thanks to Nancy’s mumps their vacation is extended as the lake freezes over.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Arthur Ransome
Coot Club (1935)
When the Hullabaloos moor right on top of the coots’ nest, what choice does Tom Dudgeon of the Bird Protection Society have but to set their motorboat adrift? Dot and Dick help the outlaw elude his pursuers.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Helene Carter
Arthur Ransome
Pigeon Post (1936)
The Swallows, Amazons and D’s are prospecting for gold on High Topps, hoping to persuade Captain Flint to stay home as he returns from a South American gold prospecting trip.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Pigeon Post (1937)
The Swallows, Amazons and D’s are prospecting for gold on High Topps, hoping to persuade Captain Flint to stay home as he returns from a South American gold prospecting trip.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Mary Shepard
We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea (1937)
The Swallows are invited to sail in Goblin with Jim Brady. When a fog comes up and the skipper doesn’t return and the rising tide starts the anchor to dragging, suddenly they find themselves outside Harwich Harbor, passing the Beach End buoy and well out in the North Sea.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Swallowdale (1938)
The Swallows return to the lake for the summer holidays but on their third day disaster strikes and they are marooned on shore.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Swallows and Amazons (1938)
The four Swallows receive permission from their sailor father to sail by themselves on one of the English lakes in a telegram: ‘BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WONT DROWN.’
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Clifford Webb
We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea (1938)
The Swallows are invited to sail in Goblin with Jim Brady. When a fog comes up and the skipper doesn’t return and the rising tide starts the anchor to dragging, suddenly they find themselves outside Harwich Harbor, passing the Beach End buoy and well out in the North Sea.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Unknown
Secret Water (1939)
The Swallows are set down on an island in a tidal estuary to explore and map it.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
The Big Six (1940)
Bill and Peter and Joe are falsely accused of setting boats adrift and the whole river is against them. Only Dick, Dorothea and Tom Dudgeon are there to stand by their friends and they soon set to work to investigate the crimes and trap the real criminals.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Secret Water (1940)
The Swallows are set down on an island in a tidal estuary to explore and map it.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Anonymous
Arthur Ransome
The Big Six (1941)
Bill and Peter and Joe are falsely accused of setting boats adrift and the whole river is against them. Only Dick, Dorothea and Tom Dudgeon are there to stand by their friends and they soon set to work to investigate the crimes and trap the real criminals.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Missee Lee (1941)
The Swallows, Amazons and Captain Flint are sailing around the world when they have to abandon ship off the coast of China. When they are captured by a female Chinese pirate, they end up forming a makeshift prep school.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Missee Lee (1942)
The Swallows, Amazons and Captain Flint are sailing around the world when they have to abandon ship off the coast of China. When they are captured by a female Chinese pirate, they end up forming a makeshift prep school.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Unknown
The Picts and the Martyrs (1943)
Dick and Dorothea have come to the lake to stay with Nancy and Peggy, break in their new boat, Scarab, and help Timothy with the copper assays when all is thrown into confusion by the arrival of the Great Aunt.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Unknown
The Picts and the Martyrs: or Not Welcome at All (1943)
Dick and Dorothea have come to the lake to stay with Nancy and Peggy, break in their new boat, Scarab and help Timothy with the copper assays when all is thrown into confusion by the arrival of the Great Aunt.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Great Northern? (1947)
The Swallows, Amazons and D’s are cruising in the Hebrides with Captain Flint, when Dick discovers a nesting pair of loons, or great northern divers - but an egg blowing bird-man is also on their track.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Great Northern? (1948)
The Swallows, Amazons and D’s are cruising in the Hebrides with Captain Flint, when Dick discovers a nesting pair of loons, or great northern divers - but an egg blowing bird-man is also on their track.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Coots in the North and Other Stories (1988)
A fragment of a thirteenth Swallows and Amazons adventure where the Death and Glories travel to the lake.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Ransome
Hilda Trefusis
The Swallows and the Amazons (1997)
This is a transcription of the original manuscript of Swallows and Amazons along with the original illustrations by Steven Spurrier which, aside from the dust jacket, were not used in the first edition as Ransome objected to them.
Author(s):
Arthur Ransome
Illustrator(s):
Steven Spurrier