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Arthur Ransome & Swallows and Amazons

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Arthur Ransome & Swallows and Amazons ARTHUR RANSOME Arthur Ransome & Swallows And Amazons JONKERS RARE BOOKS 1 JONKERS RARE BOOKS ARTHUR RANSOME Orders will be taken at: Payment is accepted by cheque or bank transfer in ei- Jonkers Rare Books ther sterling or US dollars and all major credit cards. All 27 Hart Street items are unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic Henley on Thames and as described. Any unsatisfactory item may be returned RG9 2AR within ten days of receipt. 01491 576427 (within the UK) All items in this catalogue may be ordered via our secure +44 1491 576427 (from overseas) website. The website also lists over 3,000 books, manu- scripts and pieces of artwork from our stock, as well as email: [email protected] a host of other information. website: www.jonkers.co.uk 2 3 JONKERS RARE BOOKS ARTHUR RANSOME The Swallows And Amazons Books “This is a story of two families of children, with a couple of sail- The book was critically well received, with The Sunday Times ing boats, on a lake.” These words are written on the front flap of saying it was written by “a master story teller, sympathetically the first edition ofSwallows And Amazons, and scarcely seem the in touch with real children and their interests, has created char- stuff to enthrall readers over the decades. And yet, Ransome’s acters who are accepted as friends by children everywhere”. Its evocation of a wonderful summer of adventure, discovery and favourable critical reception encouraged Ransome to write the friendship is as fresh and compelling today as it ever was. further adventures of John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker (The Swallows) and Nancy and Peggy Blackett (The Amazons) and It all began in 1928 when Ransome and his wife Evgenia met with Peter Duck, the third in the series, he finaly achieved the up with their friends, the Altounyan family, who were staying commercial success he had been looking for. at Coniston in the Lake District. The two families bought a couple of dinghies, named Swallow and Mavis (later renamed Over the following seventeen years he wrote twelve novels in Amazon), and Ransome elected to teach the five children to the series, in the process creating a “first class yarn for boys and sail. After the Altounyan’s departure at the end of the summer girls” which evoke memories of a carefree childhood set in long holidays, Ransome decided to write an adventure story loosely summer days devising camps and having sailing adventures. based on the exploits of the children and their time on the lake. In the spring of 1929 he presented a synopsis and 50 pages of These twelve volumes are presented here as they first appeared. Swallows and Amazons to his publishers, who were enthusias- All but one were assiduously acquired by a discerning Ransome tic about him continuing, and this he did. over the past decade, and now it is hoped that they might fill gaps in your collection as you look to complete your set. 1. 2. Swallows And Amazons Swallowdale RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur Cape, 1930. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt titles Cape, 1931. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt titles, in pictorial wraparound dustwrapper designed by Steven Spur- in pictorial Clifford Webb dustwrapper. Illustrated throughout rier. Pictorial endpapers in map design and map frontispiece by with woodcuts by Clifford Webb. A fine copy with a touch of Spurrier. A fine copy, with slight ghosting to the spine through fading to the edges in a fine dustwrapper, as clean and crisp the dustwrapper as usual, in a fine (price clipped) dustwrapper, as the day it was issued. An exceptional copy. Bookplate to the which shows a little toning to the spine and trivial wear at its verso of the front endpaper. [39359] £15,000 head, but is exceptionally bright and crisp. [39358] £18,500 The second book in the Swallows & Amazons series. Experience has The first book in the Swallows and Amazons series and extremely rare shown this book to be the scarcest of all the books in the series and its in this condition. dustwrapper particularly prone to defects of condition. 4 5 JONKERS RARE BOOKS ARTHUR RANSOME in a near fine dustwrapper, which just shows light tanning to the spine, a couple of short closed tears to the edges, and minor abrasion to the lower panel, but nonetheless is an uncommonly bright and crisp example. [37420] £5,500 The third in the series of Swallows and Amazons. The recipient of the postcard was at this point a twelve year old stu- dent at Tettenhall College, Wolverhampton, and a keen sailor who later joined the committee of Penarth Yacht Club. He had evidently written to Ransome to share his enjoyment of the Swallows and Amazons books and his love of sailing, and had been wise enough to leave his correspon- dence at that. WITH AN AUTOGRAPH POSTCARD 3b. 4. 3a. Peter Duck Winter Holiday Peter Duck RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur Cape, 1932. First edition. Original green cloth with gilt lettering Cape, 1933. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with titles in RANSOME, Arthur in pictorial Clifford Webb dustwrapper. Pictorial endpapers gilt to spine and blind stamped to upper cover, in pictorial dust- Cape, 1932. First edition. Original green cloth with gilt lettering and many black and white drawings. A fine copy in a near fine wrapper. Pictorial endpapers, with a map of the North Polar Ex- in pictorial Clifford Webb dustwrapper. Laid in is an autograph dustwrapper, which just shows light tanning to the spine and a pedition. Illustrated throughout in black and white. A near fine postcard with a printed border of Ransome’s illustrations. It is little wear to the corners at the head of the spine, internally rein- book in a near fine dustwrapper. An excellent copy. postmarked from 1945 and is written by Ransome to Brian Field- forced. Slight dustiness to the back panel, but an exceptionally [39958] £3,500 Hyde, a keen young sailor and reader of Ransome’s, saying “I bright crisp copy. [39957] £5,000 am glad you liked them. And thank you for NOT asking ques- The very uncommon fourth title in the Swallows and Amazons series. The third in the series of Swallows and Amazons. tions. Best wishes for fair weather! Arthur Ransome”. Pictorial endpapers and many black and white drawings. A fine copy 6 7 JONKERS RARE BOOKS ARTHUR RANSOME 5. 6. 7. 8. Coot Club Pigeon Post We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea Secret Water RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur Cape, 1934. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth,lettered in gilt, Cape, 1936. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt let- Cape, 1937. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt titles Cape, 1939. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt let- in the pictorial dustwrapper. Pictorial map endpapers and illus- tering on the upper cover and spine in pictorial dustwrapper. in pictorial dustwrapper. Pictorial endpapers and line drawings tering and pictorial dustwrapper. Signed by Arthur Ransome on trations in line throughout by Arthur Ransome. A near fine copy, Pictorial endpapers and many black and white drawings by the throughout. A very near fine copy, with a little spotting to the the half title. Pictorial endpapers and line drawings in the text in a very good dustwrapper, with a shallow chip to the head of author. A fine copy in a very good dustwrapper indeed with page edges in a fine dustwrapper with just trivial wear and a by Arthur Ransome. A very good copy indeed in a very good the spine, but a generally well preserved example of a rare title. slight fading to the spine and minor wear to the spine ends, the couple of spots of foxing to the rear panel. [39960] £1,250 dustwrapper, which is bright and clean with just light wear to [33754] £1,500 head of the spine needlessly reinforced. [39961] £850 the spine ends. [39962] SOLD The first recipient of the Carnegie Medal, which is now awarded annu- ally to the writer of an outstanding book for children. 8 9 JONKERS RARE BOOKS ARTHUR RANSOME 9. 10. 11. 12. The Big Six Missee Lee The Picts And The Martyrs Great Northern? RANSOME, Arthur RANSOME, Arthur Or Not Welcome at All RANSOME, Arthur Cape, 1940. First edition. Publisher’s green cloth with gilt letter- Cape, 1941. First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt let- RANSOME, Arthur Cape, 1947. First edition. Green cloth with gilt lettering on the ing, in the pictorial dustwrapper. Pictorial map endpapers and tering, pictorial endpapers and numerous illustrations in black Cape, 1943. First edition. Publisher’s green cloth with gilt letter- spine and pictorial dustwrapper. Pictorial map endpapers and line illustrations throughout by Ransome. A fine copy in a very and white. Pictorial dustwrapper with design in orange and ing on the spine and blind stamping to upper cover, in picto- illustrations in line. A near fine book in a very good+ dustwrap- good dustwrapper indeed, which is bright and crisp with a cou- white. Pictorial map endpapers and line illustrations through- rial dustwrapper. Pictorial map endpapers and numerous line per, which is bright and clean. [39963] £250 ple of splashes to the rear panel. [39964] £350 out by Ransome. A near fine book (book plate tipped in a half drawings. A near fine copy with a slightly dusty top edge in a The final Swallows and Amazons story. title) in a near fine dustwrapper, spine bright and clean, just a very good dustwrapper, slightly tanned to the spine with a little tiny nick to upper corner.
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