Swallows and Amazons
Encyclopedia
Swallows and Amazons is the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome
; it was first published in 1930, with the action taking place in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District
. The book introduces central protagonists John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker (Swallows) and their mother and baby sister, as well as Nancy and Peggy Blackett (Amazons) and their uncle Jim, commonly referred to as Captain Flint.
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
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.
; 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.
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 August 1929, includes a good deal of everyday Lakeland
life from the farmers to charcoal
burners working in the woods; corned beef, which the children fancifully refer to as pemmican
, and ginger beer
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 and sharing the same name as a character in Treasure Island
, appears in some ways to be modelled on Ransome himself.
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.
produced an adaptation of Swallows and Amazons with John Paul
as "Captain Flint" and Susan George
as the renamed "Kitty". The theme music used was the opening of George Butterworth
's "Banks of Green Willow".
In the summer of 1973, Theatre Projects 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 by EMI 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 Sophie Neville (Titty), Zanna Hamilton
(Susan), Simon West (John) & Stephen Grendon (Roger) as the Swallows. 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. In April 2010, the boat used as Swallow in the film was bought by a group of enthusiasts and has been restored to sailing condition. It is intended to give people an opportunity to sail in a boat like the original Swallow.
In August 1999 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a Radio adaptation by David Wood
with Jean Anderson
as Titty seventy years later narrating. Young Titty was played by Phoebe Phillips, John by John Paul Heagins, 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
started developing a musical version of Swallows and Amazons in 2007. The Divine Comedy
's frontman Neil Hannon
wrote the music. The musical premiered at the Bristol Old Vic
on 1 December 2010 and will play at the Vaudeville Theatre
, in London's West End, from 15 December 2011. The production features adults playing the children and was received favourably by reviewers.
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
; it was first published in 1930, with the action taking place in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. The book introduces central protagonists John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker (Swallows) and their mother and baby sister, as well as Nancy and Peggy Blackett (Amazons) and their uncle Jim, commonly referred to as Captain Flint.
At the time, Ransome had been working as a journalist with the Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 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
Dinghy sailing
Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls:* the sails* the foils ....
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
Ruskin Museum
Ruskin Museum is a small local museum in Coniston, Cumbria, northern England.It was established in 1901 by W. G. Collingwood, an artist and antiquarian who had worked as secretary to art critic John Ruskin...
. 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 SpurrierSteven Spurrier
Steven Spurrier was a British artist and painter.After his apprenticeship to his silversmith father, Spurrier studied art and became a freelance magazine illustrator. His work appeared in magazines such as The Graphic, Illustrated London News and the Radio Times. He also produced posters for...
; 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
Clifford Webb
Clifford Webb was an English artist, illustrator and author: RBA 1936, RE 1948.He was apprenticed as a lithographer, served in the British Army in World War I and then studied at the Westminster School of Art. Fought in Mons, Gallipoli and Mesopotamina. Wounded four times and mentioned in...
but after Ransome successfully illustrated Peter Duck
Peter Duck
Peter Duck is the third book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome. The Swallows and Amazons sail to Crab Island with Captain Flint and Peter Duck an old sailor to recover buried treasure...
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 dinghyDinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
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
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
. The story, set in August 1929, includes a good deal of everyday Lakeland
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
life from the farmers to charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
burners working in the woods; corned beef, which the children fancifully refer to as pemmican
Pemmican
Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. The word comes from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself is derived from the word pimî, "fat, grease". It was invented by the native peoples of North America...
, and ginger beer
Ginger beer
Ginger beer is a carbonated drink that is flavored primarily with ginger and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.-History:Brewed ginger beer originated in England in the mid-18th century and became popular in Britain, the United States, and Canada, reaching a peak of popularity in the...
and lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
, which they call grog
Grog
The word grog refers to a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink made with water or "small beer" and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced into the Royal Navy on 21 August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old Grogram or...
, appear as regular food stuff for the campers; island life also allows for occasional references to the story of Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
. "Captain Flint", the Blackett's uncle James Turner and sharing the same name as a character in Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
, 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, from Joseph JacobsJoseph JacobsJoseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
's children's story, Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse, has caused titters among generations of children, causing it to be changed to Kitty in the original BBC adaptation of the book - Roger Walker – Youngest of the sailing Walkers and ship's boy of the Swallow
- Bridget Walker – (nicknamed "Vicky" due to a resemblance to pictures of Queen Victoria in old age, and referred to as such in the book) Youngest of the Walkers and ship's baby of the Swallow
- Nancy BlackettNancy Blackett (character)Nancy Blackett is a fictional character in nine of the twelve juvenile novels in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of books. She is a bit of a tomboy—acting as captain of the dinghy, Amazon and usually directing her friends in their various adventures...
(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: the lake is a fictionalised version of WindermereWindermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
but the surrounding countryside more closely resembles that around Coniston
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
. Wild Cat Island, the location of the island camp, has elements from Peel Island
Peel Island, Cumbria
Peel Island is one of the three islands of Coniston Water in the English Lake District, Cumbria. The two others are Fir Island and Oak Island. It is most famous for being the inspiration for Arthur Ransome's Wild Cat Island...
in Coniston and Blake Holme (or Blakeholme) in Windermere.
Film, TV, radio or theatrical adaptations
In 1962, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
produced an adaptation of Swallows and Amazons with John Paul
John Paul (actor)
John Paul was a British actor.He is best known for his television roles, particularly as Dr Spencer Quist in Doomwatch and Marcus Agrippa in I, Claudius , both for BBC Television....
as "Captain Flint" and Susan George
Susan George (actress)
Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
as the renamed "Kitty". The theme music used was the opening of George Butterworth
George Butterworth
George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC was an English composer best known for the orchestral idyll The Banks of Green Willow and his song settings of A. E...
's "Banks of Green Willow".
In the summer of 1973, Theatre Projects adapted the story of Swallows and Amazons in colour for the big screen and went up to the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
National Park in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
to film it on the actual locations of the Arthur Ransome novel. Released by EMI in 1974, directed by Claude Whatham
Claude Whatham
Claude Whatham was an English Film and television director mainly known for his work on dramas.-Career:...
and produced by Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow is an internationally renowned stage lighting designer, author, theatre consultant, and theatrical producer, film producer and television producer...
, the film starred Virginia McKenna
Virginia McKenna
Virginia A. McKenna OBE is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner.-Early career:McKenna trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama then worked on stage in London's West End theatres before making her motion picture debut in 1952...
and Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
in the main adult roles and Sophie Neville (Titty), Zanna Hamilton
Suzanna Hamilton
Suzanna Hamilton is an English actress. She is most famous for her performance as Julia in the modern film adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.-Early career:...
(Susan), Simon West (John) & Stephen Grendon (Roger) as the Swallows. 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. In April 2010, the boat used as Swallow in the film was bought by a group of enthusiasts and has been restored to sailing condition. It is intended to give people an opportunity to sail in a boat like the original Swallow.
In August 1999 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a Radio adaptation by David Wood
David Wood (actor)
David Wood OBE is an English-born actor and writer, called "the National Children's Dramatist" by The Times.He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and Worcester College, Oxford....
with Jean Anderson
Jean Anderson
Jean Anderson was an English actress born in Eastbourne, Sussex. She is best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the 1970s BBC drama The Brothers and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn "Joss" Holbrook in the 1980s Second World War series Tenko .She is...
as Titty seventy years later narrating. Young Titty was played by Phoebe Phillips, John by John Paul Heagins, Susan by Flora Harris, Roger by Joe Sowerbutts
Joe Sowerbutts
Joe Sowerbutts is a British actor who played the part of Thomas Mortmain in the 2003 film I Capture the Castle. He also voiced for Harry Potter in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone video game and was used to re-dub two scenes for Daniel Radcliffe after Radcliffe's voice broke.-External...
, mother by Penny Downie
Penny Downie
Penny Downie is an Australian actress, noted for her appearances on British television.She began her career in Australia, initially in Brisbane at Twelfth Night Theatre and Brisbane Arts Theatre. She trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art , Sydney...
, Nancy by Catherine Poole, Peggy by Jackie Swainson and Uncle Jim by Nicholas Le Prevost
Nicholas Le Prevost
Nicholas Le Prevost is an English actor. He was educated at Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset from 1957 to 1961 and at Kingswood School, Bath from 1961 to 1964...
.
The Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
started developing a musical version of Swallows and Amazons in 2007. The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
's frontman Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy...
wrote the music. The musical premiered at the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
on 1 December 2010 and will play at the Vaudeville Theatre
Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on The Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous...
, in London's West End, from 15 December 2011. The production features adults playing the children and was received favourably by reviewers.
Release details
- 1930, UK, Jonathan Cape, Pub date 1 December 1930, hardback (First edition, unillustrated)
- 1931, UK, Jonathan Cape, Pub date 1931, hardback (First "Clifford Webb" illustrated edition)
- 1931, USA, 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, 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
See also
- List of characters in Arthur Ransome books
- Roger AltounyanRoger AltounyanRoger Edward Collingwood Altounyan was an Armenian physician and pharmacologist who pioneered the use of sodium cromoglycate as a remedy for asthma...
- real-life scientist; Ransome named characters in the story after Altounyan and his sisters. - Swallows and Amazons series