Arthur Ransome & Captain Flint's Trunk [Paperback]

Christina Hardyment (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2007

A new edition of the classic account of a voyage in search of Arthur Ransome following clues found among the contents of the beloved author's trunk.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not only an essential companion to the Ransome books but a magical transposition of story into reality. Footsteps

About the Author

Christina Hardyment has written books and articles on dizzying range of subjects (including her collection of historical sewing machines, domestic technology, family life and a biography of Sir Thomas Malory). She lives in a rambling house in Oxford with a huge garden, where she is already planning camps and a treehouse for her grandchildren. Time off is spent sailing on the river, in a British Moth dinghy. To visit Christina Hardyment's website click here

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln (April 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071122692X
• ISBN-13: 978-0711226920
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story behind my favourite childhood books, September 24, 2007

By 

G. M. Arnold "Geoff, that is" (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arthur Ransome & Captain Flint's Trunk (Paperback)

Like many English boys (and girls... and not just English, come to think of it) growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, my favourite books were Arthur Ransome's wonderful stories about children messing about in boats in the Lake District, Norfolk Broads, and elsewhere. I read them all at least five times, from "Swallows & Amazon" to "Great Northern". I bought a paperback set for my children, and I think my son really got into them too. Now there's a new book (technically a new expanded edition) that gives the complete back-story: of Arthur Ransome, his life, and his boats; of the family whose children inspired the original stories; of the relationship between the geography of the books and the real world; and of visiting the places about which he wrote so many years ago. Nicely written, well illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, and utterly fascinating.

Not surprisingly, I'm planning to re-read the stories all over again, with fresh eyes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview and history of Ransome's Swallows & Amazons series, April 26, 2010

By 

David L. Luckhardt "thornezilla" (East SF Bay, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arthur Ransome & Captain Flint's Trunk (Paperback)

Hardyment does a wonderful job of dealing with the history and background of Ransome's Swallows & Amazons stories. She gently removes some of the veil from the family of children that Ransome used to partially create his characters, but leaves dedicated readers with most of their illusions still intact.

She also spent quite a bit of time traveling around the Lake Country trying to pin down the various locations from the stories, some which were easy and others still a mystery (like Swallowdale). This book will be a welcome addition to any Ransome fan's library.