Swallows and Amazons
2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Children's Books
| Swallows and Amazons | |
 First edition dust jacket cover 1930 |
|
| Author | Arthur Ransome |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | 1st edition was not illustrated, later editions illustrated by Clifford Webb and later Arthur Ransome |
| Cover artist | Steven Spurrier |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Swallows and Amazons series |
| Genre(s) | Childrens, Adventure Novel |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Publication date | 1 December 1930 |
| Media type | Print ( Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 352 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-224-60631-X |
| Followed by | Swallowdale |
Swallows and Amazons is the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome and was published in 1930. It is set in the Lake District between the two World Wars.
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 continued to write part-time for the press.
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 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 Windermere Steamboat 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.
Illustrations
The artist chosen for the first edition of the book was Steven Spurrier; however, 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.
Plot summary
The story follows the Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger), who sail a borrowed dinghy named Swallow, and the Blackett children (Nancy and Peggy), who sail a dinghy named Amazon. The Walkers are staying at a farm near a lake during the school holidays and want to camp on an island in the lake; the Blacketts live in a house nearby. The children meet on the island which they call Wild Cat Island, and have a series of adventures, involving sailing, camping, fishing, exploration and piracy. The story, set in 1930, includes a good deal of everyday Lakeland life from the farmers to charcoal burners working in the woods; canned meat, which the children fancifully refer to as pemmican, and ginger ale and lemonade, which they call grog, appear as regular food stuff for the campers; island life also allows for occasional references to the story of Robinson Crusoe. "Captain Flint", the Blackett's uncle James Turner, appears in some ways to be modelled on Ransome himself.
Major characters in Swallows and Amazons
See also List of characters in Arthur Ransome books
- 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, the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan, has caused titters among generations of children, causing it to be changed to Kitty in at least one filmed adaptation of the book
- Roger Walker – Youngest of the Walkers and ship's boy of the Swallow
- Nancy Blackett (Ruth) – Captain of the Amazon
- Peggy Blackett (Margaret) – Nancy's younger sister and mate of the Amazon
- James Turner – Nancy and Peggy's uncle. Known to the children as Captain Flint
Places in Swallows and Amazons
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. It is generally accepted that the lake is a fictionalised version of Windermere, 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 Blakeholme in Windermere.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
In 1962, the BBC produced an adaptation of Swallows and Amazons.
In the summer of 1973, EMI adapted the story of Swallows and Amazons in colour for the big screen and went up to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria to film it on the actual locations of the Arthur Ransome novel. Released in 1974, directed by Claude Whatham and produced by Richard Pilbrow, the film starred Virginia McKenna and Ronald Fraser in the main adult roles and Simon West (John), Sophie Neville (Titty), Zanna Hamilton (Susan) & Stephen Grendon (Roger) as some of the children. This has been made available on video, both in VHS and DVD, in the UK, but is not readily available in the US and elsewhere.
The Royal National Theatre confirmed in April 2007 that a stage musical adaptation of Swallows and Amazons is in development. The Divine Comedy's frontman Neil Hannon is writing.
Release details
- 1930, UK, Jonathan Cape (ISBN ?), Pub date 1 December 1930, hardback (First edition, unillustrated)
- 1931, UK, Jonathan Cape (ISBN ?), Pub date ? ? 1931, hardback (First "Clifford Webb" illustrated edition)
- 1931, USA, J.B.Lippincott company, Philadelphia (ISBN ?), 1931. Hardback, no full illustrations, front and back plates plus chapter headings by Helene Carter.
- 1938, UK, Jonathan Cape (ISBN ?), Pub date ? ? 1938, hardback (First "Ransome" illustrated edition)
- 1958, USA, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ( ISBN 0-397-30015-8), Pub date ? June 1958, hardback
- 1995, UK, ISIS Audio Books ( ISBN 1-85695-974-0), Pub date ? August 1995, audio book cassette (unabridged)
- 1999, UK, Jonathan Cape ( ISBN 0-224-60631-X), Pub date ? ? 1999, hardback
- 2001, UK, Red Fox Classics ( ISBN 0-09-950391-3), Pub date 5 April 2001, paperback
- 2001, UK, Red Fox ( ISBN 0-09-942733-8), Pub date 5 October 2001, paperback
- 2005, UK, Gabriel Woolf ( ISBN 0-9550529-0-4), Pub date ? July 2005, audio book CD