Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Swallows and Amazons is the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome and was first 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.

The 1936th greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
COOT CLUB Hardcover 12036751 $14.25
Great Northern?: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 43232 $17.95 2010
(We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows And Amazons)) [By: Ransome, Arthur] [Sep, 2001] Paperback 7013183 $22.93 $28.91 2001
SWALLOWDALE Hardcover 797139 $3.21
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons series) Mass Market Paperback 2363605 $1.49
Swallows and Amazons Hardcover 2104548 $18.67 $0.31
The Picts and The Martyrs: or, Not Welcome At All Hardcover 2947366 $17.45 $13.31
Winter Holiday Paperback 3807580 $0.80
Swallows and Amazons (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1266504 $25.62 $8.00 2012
The Picts and the Martyrs: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 71406 $14.95 2009
Secret Water Hardcover 1752599 $18.38 $8.88
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS. Hardcover 3713246 $0.99
Missee Lee Hardcover 10058918 $176.56 $10.50
Winter Holiday (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 515857 $88.11 $8.70 1989
The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 964604 $8.55 $3,996.00 2012
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea Paperback 288813 $8.26 $7.06
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows & Amazons Book 7) Kindle Edition 305112 1994
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS Hardcover 2634669 $8.40
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons) Kindle Edition 245719 $8.49 1985
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1444737 $10.22 $10.22 2012
Swallowdale (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 1388050 $5.42 $0.01 2010
Swallows and Amazons Hardcover 2171205 $7.65
Great Northern?: A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 3859959 $9.99 $13.49 2012
GREAT NORTHERN? A Swallows and Amazons Book Hardcover 2034028 $20.21 $19.52
Coot Club Hardcover 3968161 $6.97
Winter Holiday (Swallows & Amazons) Kindle Edition 118514 1988
Winter Holiday Paperback 125236 $4.64 $4.63 2012
Winter Holiday Hardcover 1252492 $18.51 $18.49
Secret Water (Puffin Books) Paperback 4610306 $0.99
Peter Duck Hardcover 769383 $15.84 $15.49
Swallowdale: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 2 Audible Audio Edition 52978 $21.46 2013
Pigeon Post Paperback 1277629 $4.67 $3.97 2013
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 5625975 $30.30 $4,215.00 2012
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons) Kindle Edition 502345 $1.99 1994
Swallowdale Paperback 1621563 $7.90 $1.96 2009
The Picts & The Martyrs: Not Welcome at All (Swallows and Amazons Book 11) Kindle Edition 586649 2014
Great Northern Paperback 1135595 $8.67 $0.85 2001
Pigeon Post (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 1154690 $8.21 $19.81 2015
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 5375014 $25.60 $8.00 2012
Winter Holiday (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1947012 $8.99 $8.54 2012
Pigeon Post (Swallows - Amazons - For Ever) Pigeon Post Audio CD 6028803 $18.21 2012
Missee Lee Kindle Edition 1049055 2019
Coot Club: A Norfolk Broads Adventure Hardcover 1657808 $18.18 $15.52
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons series) Mass Market Paperback 4491295 $0.02
We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea Hardcover 202869 $15.63 $15.62 1987
pigeon post Paperback 3956031 $0.01
Coot Club Hardcover 12120717 $98.00
Missee Lee Hardcover 15913348 $49.09
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows & Amazons) Kindle Edition 249193 $8.99 1987
Peter Duck Paperback 178767 $4.88 $8.00 2012
Pigeon Post (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 1387584 $8.15 $13.83 2012
COOT CLUB Hardcover 4403288 $32.50
Peter Duck by ARTHUR RANSOME (1983-08-01) Hardcover 3046301 $25.37 $9.49
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 3013071 $7.45 2015
The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 3713374 $27.00 2012
Missee Lee, Hardcover 13169128 $12.32
Missee Lee (Swallows and Amazons - 10) Kindle Edition 675574 2020
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 999196 $20.84 $7.48 1994
Missee Lee by Ransome, Arthur (1982) Hardcover Hardcover 5855641 $30.00 $11.01
The Picts & the Martyrs: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 11 Audible Audio Edition 129002 $16.79 2013
Missee Lee Hardcover 9044756 $3.89
Coot Club Paperback 583427 $5.39 $6.49 2013
Pigeon Post Hardcover 1250494 $18.17 $18.01
Swallows and Amazons Paperback 1280138 $4.59 $4.59 2012
Missee Lee: The Swallows & Amazons in the China Seas (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 427162 $4.66 $6.12 2015
Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 2367606 $16.09 $11.38 2012
Peter Duck: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 3 Audible Audio Edition 112553 $21.46 2013
The Big Six Paperback 299080 $6.52 $12.63 2014
[ Missee Lee: The Swallows and Amazons in the China Seas Ransome, Arthur ( Author ) ] { Paperback } 2001 Paperback 1783091 $59.49 $52.02
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audible Audio Edition 28984 $17.95 2008
Coot Club Hardcover 5769045 $35.99
Missee Lee Paperback 7673169 $5.60 $6.95
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 51516 $11.95 2009
Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 5020464 $4.66 $5.95 2015
The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 706340 $5.94 2015
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 7 Audible Audio Edition 48629 $16.79 2013
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows and Amazons Book 3) Kindle Edition 427855 $1.99 1994
Peter Duck Paperback 888102 $8.82 $6.26
Swallows and Amazons Hardcover 107584 $15.10 $16.51 2013
Secret Water [Facsimile Edition] Hardcover 4290938 $29.99 $25.00 2009
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 692072 $16.27 $12.99 2012
Winter Holiday (Puffin Books) Paperback 4173010 $0.98
Secret Water: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 86988 $16.95 2010
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1205044 $18.99 $14.95 2012
Missee Lee Hardcover 472452 $13.79 $12.30
Missee Lee (Puffin Books) Paperback 6762227 $65.20 $0.01
Great Northern? Paperback 268968 $6.28 $6.33 2015
The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1253559 $19.99 $11.94 2012
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 909643 $42.44 $0.02 1987
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons series) Mass Market Paperback 10457567 $11.02
Swallows and Amazons (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 46136 $9.45 $5.95 2010
Missee Lee: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 10 Audible Audio Edition 95639 $16.79 2013
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 504303 $5.36 $7.49 2015
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Godine Storyteller) Paperback 2111837 $34.67 $265.46 2010
Pigeon Post (Swallows And Amazons) by Arthur Ransome (2001-09-06) Paperback 1225480 $12.00 $5.56
Pigeon Post: Swallows and Amazons Kindle Edition 1508949 2018
Pigeon Post by Ransome, Arthur (1983) Hardcover Hardcover 2830998 $23.01 $13.15
The Picts & the Martyrs (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 825613 $14.95 $14.75 2010
Pigeon Post Paperback 4557593 $48.51
Secret Water [Facsimile Edition] Paperback 1728509 $12.99 $15.76 2009
Great Northern? (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 1980988 $29.99 $23.89 2003
Great Northern? (Swallows and Amazons) Kindle Edition 446561 $8.49 2003
Winter Holiday (Swallows & Amazons) Paperback 107799 $9.93 $6.77 2014
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 145785 $9.28 $10.74 2015
Swallows and Amazons Paperback 1830153 $9.74 $17.56 2012
Swallows and Amazons Paperback 1706405 $9.39 $0.01
Swallows & Amazons Hardcover 4386421 $338.53
Swallows and Amazons Audio CD 9870041 $118.89
Coot Club: Swallows and Amazons #5 Kindle Edition 350849 2018
Coot Club Hardcover 7461364 $9.90
Swallowdale, Hardcover 7101688 $25.49
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons Book 2) Kindle Edition 286156 2020
Missee Lee (Swallows and Amazons # 10) Kindle Edition 452261 $3.18 2022
Missee Lee Hardcover 15981546 $18.49
Pigeon Post: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 49876 $17.95 2010
Swallows and Amazons (stage version) (NHB Modern Plays) Kindle Edition 834355 2014
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Oxford Bookworms Library) Paperback 3631052 $26.25 $26.24
The Picts and the Martyrs (Puffin Books) Paperback 4058951 $0.98
Swallows and Amazons (Chinese Edition) Paperback 11979769 $13.99 2019
The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 825333 $49.99 $23.24 2000
Swallows and Amazons Kindle Edition 155393 $8.49 1985
Swallows and Amazons (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1099108 $12.62 $12.01 2012
Missee Lee: The Swallows & Amazons in the China Seas (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1639261 $11.16 $3.44 2012
Big Six Paperback 1537543 $8.58 $8.50 2001
Missee Lee (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 1175685 $41.65 $13.51 2001
The Picts & the Martyrs (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 2594441 $140.75 $9.66 2008
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees (Swallows-And-Amazons-For-Ever!) Paperback 198604 $10.35 $3.93 2010
Missee Lee Hardcover 8006909 $21.90
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 2957124 $13.40 $25.61 2012
The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 3879570 $30.81 2012
The Big Six: Follows the Norfolk Broads Adventure in 'Coot Club' Hardcover 1495805 $18.78 $18.86
Swallowdale Hardcover 2340189 $26.99 $54.84 2009
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 1225648 $15.95 $11.13 1990
Coot Club Hardcover 11847517 $19.80
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS Paperback 2748717 $0.01
Swallows and Amazons Hardcover 5428832 $42.63
The Big Six: Swallows and Amazons Series Audible Audio Edition 73379 $21.95 2009
Coot Club (Swallows and Amazons Book 5) Kindle Edition 508398 $11.49 1990
Winter Holiday Paperback 105128 $7.89 $2.65 2001
Pigeon Post (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 241959 $12.92 $3.13 1992
Swallows and Amazons Paperback 177149 $15.02 $6.37 2010
Pigeon Post (Swallows and Amazons) Kindle Edition 510621 $8.49 1992
The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 6737306 $12.59 $21.13 2012
Great Northern?: A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 9288611 $12.75 $21.13 2012
Great Northern? Paperback 6252445 $0.01
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 9404592 $12.63 $21.13 2012
Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 10540982 $13.01 $36.98 2012
Great Northern?: A Scottish Adventure of Swallows & Amazons (Swallows and Amazons Series) MP3 CD 1660927 $4.66 $32.93 2015
Secret Water Paperback 861717 $5.59 $7.61 2014
Swallows and Amazons Kindle Edition 54496 $7.99 2012
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons) Kindle Edition 225457 $6.64 2012
Pigeon Post (Swallows and Amazons Series) Audio CD 1113262 $13.02 $14.95 2012
[(Pigeon Post )] [Author: Arthur Ransome] [Jun-2012] Audio CD 13318661 $32.93 2012
Swallowdale (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 636534 $13.39 $5.76 2010
PETER DUCK - Based on information supplied by the Swallows and Amazons and Illustrated mainly by Themselves Paperback 3782799 $0.01
Pigeon Post Paperback 7096055 $0.93 2001
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 644721 $12.68 $5.27 2014
Secret Water (Swallows and Amazons) Paperback 1151068 $13.60 $3.52 1996